How Long Will It Take?
by Krissby
Summary: How long will it take, to get over Cloud Strife? Tifa finally realizes what she needs to do, but what if Cloud does as well?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The usual. Final Fantasy VII and its characters are not mine, this story is mine however, and I'd appreciate no stealing.  Thanks, yo. XD

Chapter 1

A gentle hum could be heard within an empty bar in the city of Edge, where a bar maid was serenely wiping down tables and stacking chairs upside down on top of them. It was an odd melody that had no real distinct cadence or rhythm. It merely rose and fell, swaying and swelling with every movement of a hand or side step to the next table. Neither happy nor sad, it was merely a song for the end of a hard day, for no real audience but the soothing of a heart and a lullaby for a soul.

Every now and then, the lips would break the hum and suddenly the song would become vocal and clear, the notes louder and more solid, and perhaps a word or two could be heard. But it was all meaningless, just another action mankind had picked up some where down the evolutionary trail. If she had thought about it, the maid would probably say that she hummed for the enjoyment of it, to show her current mood, but subconsciously, at some level, she realized that she hummed to comfort herself. To diminish some of the loneliness she felt considering that she was in a bar and a home, all alone.

The woman climbed the first step up the stairwell before looking over her shoulder, considering the bar floor once more, making sure she hadn't forgotten to clean, close, stack, or lock anything, and flicking off the light. A small, minor light was left on in the kitchen, above the stove, as always. It was more than enough light for an ex-SOLDIER to find his way through the dark, but she always left it on, just in consideration.

Silently, she passed by an open door, sparing the inside of the room a sad glance as she made her way to the end of the hall to her room. It had taken her a couple of months to stop herself from habitually going into the room to tuck little ones into bed and kiss them goodnight. Marlene and Denzel, two little children whom she loved dearly were away at school near the newly rebuilt Corel, living with Marlene's adoptive father, Barret. During the school year, they stayed with him, but during the summer in late June, they were able to stay with her and her blonde housemate, a man named Cloud, 'the man that had saved the world,' until they went back to school at the beginning of September. It wasn't a bad set up, but the woman frequently found herself severely missing the company of a pair of children who were anything but boring.

It was only around 12:30am but the woman with the long, sable hair was exhausted and she knew that Cloud wouldn't be coming in until well after that. She hadn't seen the man in nearly two months, but she knew that it was him who sometimes woke her from her light sleep with his heavy boots as they treaded softly to his door. She knew it was pointless to stay awake and wait for him. It was as if he had a sixth sense and was able to tell if she were waiting for him or not, because when she did, he never came home.

Presently, the woman sat in front of her mirror in her nightgown brushing out her soft, long hair. Pretty soon it was going to be as long as it was during her AVALANCHE days. In the years after Sephiroth's second coming, she had let her tresses return to their former lengthy splendor, which currently danced near the tops of her thighs. Her friends had all remarked almost negatively when she had cut her hair, saying that they much preferred it long. Even Vincent made a comment about how 'alluring' it was. That completely threw her off. The woman had to grudgingly agree. She missed its weight, especially while fighting. Not that she had had much time for that anymore.

The monsters that had surrounded the cities were nearly all obliterated from what she suspected was a rather large, six piece sword, wielded by a rather self-depreciative blonde. She knew that his deliveries shouldn't take all day and that Cloud wasn't the type to just sit still while avoiding her. The woman sighed in resignation and lowered herself into bed, pulling the covers up to her waist and turning off the light, letting the slight moonlight filter in where it glinted on a solitary tear, sliding down a smooth cheek.

_"Tifa," it repeated._

_A woman with long, sable hair smiled and turned around. She recognized that sweet voice. She didn't have to call her name for she felt her presence all around. It was a warm, peaceful feel, full of joy and love. As always however, Tifa could never see the beautiful Ancient. Aeris once again shared only her presence in Tifa's dream, allowing her voice to flow in no need of a vision._

_"Tifa…"_

_She felt herself nod as she felt arms encircle her comfortingly from behind. Aeris didn't have to say anything else. It was as if saying Tifa's name alone relayed enough between the two women. _

Tifa opened her eyes slowly, meeting the digital clock on her night stand. It was only 1 in the morning. Aeris's absence suddenly made her feel cold, urging her to curl up deeper into her blanket. She always came when Tifa was feeling lonely, which was to say was quite often now. The soft thudding of boots soon registered in her mind as she realized what had woken her. She also realized that they had stopped right outside her door and she could hear the knob turning softly as it was soundlessly pushed open. With her back to the door, Tifa's sad eyes only widened momentarily before she squeezed them shut hard. In that instant, she felt utterly spent, as if all her emotion had been washed away leaving behind nothing but a barren shore.

What was Cloud thinking as he stood there? It had been nearly 5 minutes now and he had yet to walk away, much less move. Was he contemplating on actually telling her goodbye? Or how to do it? She felt, that the least he could do was do it to her face, so she turned slowly to meet Cloud's stare, allowing nothing to show on her face.

Laying on her side, she faced him with open eyes but a closed, expressionless face. Cloud himself still stood in her doorway, completely hidden by the shadows, but she could easily pick out his outline in the gloom. His arms were folded across his chest and his shoulder pressed against the doorway.

"You're not her."

Tifa's widened eyes were imperceptive in the dark. Whatever Tifa might have been expecting, it wasn't that. '_Bye Tifa…. You're not enough for me Tifa… I'm moving into her church Tifa…. I'm leaving you Tifa'_ Were among her top choices but something so obvious as "You're not her," was a bit of a let down and even sparked a little indignation in the lithe bar maid.

Garnet orbs hardened in the silence. Cloud's voice had been devoid of intonation, utterly flat, and very faint. More than likely the spike head was talking to himself and wasn't really seeing her open eyes in the dark, but that wouldn't be unusual. He hadn't really seen her for months now, always looking as if seeing something beyond her. Perhaps he was trying to find the green in crimson eyes.

The house made a settling noise somewhere in the room which rang in her ears like shot of gun fire. Her eyes burned and her throat dried. Her hands fisted in her coverlet and she exhaled slowly through her nose. "No. I'm not." She answered thickly before turning over and facing the wall, pulling her blanket up to her face and scowling. Tifa could believe that he internally compared the two women, but it was an entire thing entirely to voice it.

Tifa knew that she and Aeris were two entirely different people. Aeris was so carefree and optimistic, trusting, sweet, but headstrong and outspoken. She was bright and happy with the infectious smile and mischievous glint in her eyes. Tifa was always the worrier, unsure, and paranoid, lost some where between seen as a sex kitten and a burly fighter. She kept her thoughts in and preferred to watch things develop rather than acting on them. They were two different people who happened to care for the same blonde swordsman with the impossible hair.

'_You know, perhaps I had just fallen in love with my idea of Cloud as my knight in shining armor_.' Tifa thought with a sharp exhalation. '_After all, I didn't really know him 'that' well… the other towns people made sure of that… And Aeris… was it Zach that she kept seeing in Cloud?_' She'd never know the answer to either of her musings and she supposed that that was all right. It didn't matter anyway. Aeris was gone. Cloud was gone most of the time. Barrett and the children were in Corel. Vincent never really stayed in one place to keep track of where he was. Yuffie was convinced to stay in Wutai longer. Cid had gone back to Rocket Town. Cait Sith or rather Reeves was rebuilding Midgar and Jessie and the others were dead.

She quickly closed her eyes with a deep breath before she went down that path of loneliness again and lifted her head to peer over her shoulder to see if Cloud still stood there. He wasn't of course, but she hadn't heard him leave. Now that she was listening for it though, she did hear his bike speeding down the street.

Her head dropped back to her pillow and with a mirthless chuckle she nuzzled against the fabric and wondered just how long it would take to get over Cloud Strife.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The usual.

[ Sorry, this chapter is a little short and slow, but I hoped it helped set the mood. ^_^ ]

Chapter 2

It was Sunday, and boy was she happy about that. Sundays were her days off, originally taken so she could be with her family, but now that everyone was gone, well… she really didn't have much to do other than clean or mend something.

'_How domestic_.' She thought with a smirk. '_I can finish off the likes of Emerald Weapon with these hands of mine, but here I am, dusting and washing dishes_.' There was a time she used her fists for a purpose, they had a reason, but other than for herself, now there really wasn't much to do with them. They were relatively idle and that wasn't enough for Tifa Lockhart, especially with everything on her mind that she didn't want to think about.

With appraising eyes, she took the room in, noting her dark hardwood tables and chairs. Ordinary. The white walls with chipping paint and plaster in some areas. Spartan. The overall monochromatic layout. Lifeless. Even the pictures on the inner wall were black and white. '_Now those were some old pictures_,' she mused. She walked towards the photographs with a towel in her hand and studied them.

They were mostly photos that she had managed to quickly snap during their journey. They were all there, even Reno and Rude. These weren't her personnel photos. These were the most artsy, less intimate glimpses of their journey. Still however, every person who she had fought side-by-side with was represented in some small way. The images may not have been obvious, but they were there, if one knew where to look. Shadows, footprints, clothing, hair, a silhouette, or a weapon were often the conspicuous clues but in several, a few of their gang smiled back at her camera, catching the vestiges of one of the few truly happy moments of their journey.

Sometimes, she would get questions about the photographs, often to compliment or ask what location it was taken in. Tifa was all too eager to share and the patrons were delighted to hear the tales of the Planet's heroes. Accordingly, many reverent eyes strayed to and lingered on the image with the woman wearing the pink bow, looking over her shoulder and smiling. Tifa always directed them to that picture, to the real hero, to her friend.

There were three girls in their team and while Yuffie was a welcome bundle of energy, Aeris and Tifa shared a bond that went beyond their mutual affection. They didn't have the chance to talk much considering the nature of their situation, but they didn't need to have to know that. It was just a shame that their friendship couldn't develop before tragedy struck. Tifa extended her hand and let her fingers brush over Aeris's smile and ghosted one over her own lips.

"Were you ever lonely, Aeris?" Tifa asked softly. Tifa knew that she wasn't strong enough to be on her own. It was truly the one thing she was afraid of and just didn't know how to deal with… with no relatives left and friends who never seemed to stick around long enough… Tifa hated it. That was part of the reason why she didn't have a problem running the Seventh Heaven. The endless number of people who filed in daily filled the bar with an energizing atmosphere that helped sate Tifa's emptiness. She knew however, that her own loneliness didn't come close to making it up to the countless lives she forever altered in Midgar. When that plate fell… how many other people were just as lonely as her? How many families lost someone because of her?

"I deserve this though… after all I did… all we did." Her sins from AVALANCHE never left her and committed her to this… life without a sun. Tifa inhaled deeply and looked upwards, trying to keep her tears in check. She had not cried since her mother died and she wouldn't start now, especially not for herself. The woman bit her lip and set herself by tensing all her muscles. With nothing needing cleaning, to be bought, or fixed, she ran upstairs and opened the bottom drawer of her chiffonier and pulled out her leather glove.

Laying the pair on her bent knee, her fingertips ran down the stitching soothingly. Memories came flooding in as she ran down the thread. Images of dark, mansion passages filled her vision. The sounds of explosions and ticking bombs accosted her ears as the smell of flowers and smoke alternatively stifled her nose. It was the memory of her fists impacting however, on monsters and enemies that sent her heart racing. The speed of battle, as much as she hated to admit it, excited her. It thrilled her. The simplicity of the fight was a welcome change for her turbulent mind. By going through the motions of her deadly dance she didn't have to focus on what was going on within her heart and in her head. All that she had to be aware of was what was in front of her and her own body. It was with Cloud though, that she learned to also be aware of who was fighting beside to her.

Tifa replaced the leather glove and pulled out the Premium Heart. It was with this pair that she fought Sephiroth. '_His blood was probably still in its threading_,' she mused, despite the thorough washing all her clothing and items had gone through after they had fought him.

She swiftly pulled on her glove and made a fist, simultaneously relaxing and perking up with the sound of the materials rustling and crunching between her fingers and palm. It still felt right; comfortable as an extension of herself. A smile developed on her pretty face and she descended her stairs and headed towards the door, locking it behind her. It was time to rustle up some monsters. _Cloud can't have all the fun._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The usual. I only **wish** that I were profiting from this!

Chapter 3

Her muscles were burning.

Each inhalation was a searing stretch that sent her bosom heaving, her soaked white tank top reattaching itself to her skin with each breath. Marbles of sweat coursed down the planes of her face, dripping and flying off with each fierce movement of her entire body. She was pouring everything into her training.

It had been so long since her limbs went through Zangan's teachings even though her mind repeated it daily, like locking her door on her way out. Her body hadn't been through such rigor since Loz. Tifa grimaced at that brief memory.

She flew through the hot air with a side kick, landing against the rock face and leaping quickly away, taking only enough time to swipe a lock of hair from her eyes. Tifa twisted around and pummeled that rock, leaving a crater the size and oddly enough, roughly the shape of a chocobo. The woman stood back and wiped her forehead with the back of her arm as she appreciated her work. Her hand pleasantly thrummed from the impact and pulsed against its protective binding as it hung at her side.

A laugh snuck out, completely unbidden from her sore throat. _A chocobo!_ Tifa covered her mouth. _I wonder what that chocobo head would say about that… he'd probably shake his head and laugh at me._ The bar maid's bright smile slowly melted away, her contemplation growing thoughtful and slightly sad.

"There I go again," Tifa shook her head ruefully, and stretching her arms above her head. _Always thinking back to him… do I really have it that bad?_

Tifa finished her stretching and grabbed her water bottle to splash over her head and let it refresh her, before plopping down and leaning against a boulder. She pulled from her bag the apple she had bought when she passed through the market. She munched contently, letting the wind cool her heated flesh and dry her hair. The martial artist wondered why she had let herself go so long without truly working out like this. It had taken her a little bit to readjust to the new weight of her hair, grown out since when it was drastically cut two years ago. When she did however, she absolutely flew. Her grace hadn't left her and her ferocity hadn't tamed. She wasn't quite as flexible as she had been, despite stretching every morning but the difference was negligible and quite frankly, there were more pressing matters on her mind.

The two monsters she had come across on her walk lay decimated farther down her path and the small scavengers were feasting happily on the remains. She watched a few more timid creatures join their brethren and had a random thought. '_I should get a dog'._

The lithe woman leaned her head back against the boulder with a tired grin. Her muscles were singing and the first time in a long time, Tifa felt light.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The mistress of Seventh Heaven hummed as she reached into her pockets for her keys, her thoughts filled with the types of dogs she had seen in the pet store the last time she had noticed it. She knew that small dogs were the style and would probably do well in her bar, but the idea of a larger dog appealed to her. Perhaps a Collie, or a Labrador… her hand twisted the door knob and her nerves prickled immediately.

She had left it locked, and now it wasn't.

Alarmed and with alerted senses, she thrust open the once locked door with a forceful bang… only to see a man sitting peacefully at her bar, wearing a tattered crimson cloak.

"Geez, Tifa. What'd ya do that for?" A small, Wutai girl huffed, with her hands on her hips.

Tifa blinked owlishly. Her sudden scowl instantaneously evaporating into a shocked expression. It made sense: leave it to a kleptomaniac to pick locked doors. Her mahogany eyes studied Yuffie, as her mouth struggled to catch up with her thoughts, before flicking over to Vincent whose back was still to her.

"Y-Yuffie… Vincent-" Tifa finally croaked with small shake of her head, as if not believing they stood in front of her. She hadn't seen them for nearly a year now.

"Yeah, yeah, ya just gonna stand there or what?" Yuffie impatiently tapped her foot and leaned forward with a grumpy expression. "We're kinda in a hurry," she rushed before awkwardly adding, "… sorry."

The bar maid closed the door behind her and set her items on the kitchen counter near the still silent Vincent, passing Yuffie with a welcoming smile. Her eyes searched for his above his cowl and noticed that his eyes were closed, as if meditating. If she hadn't noticed the slight ticking beneath one eye she would have thought he was sleeping. Without asking, Tifa poured water for the both of them as Yuffie continued to ramble on about some man they were meeting.

"I don't know why it's so important to Fath- I mean, Godo. But he's 'got to have it.'" Yuffie explained animatedly. "We're to meet the guy in Edge, but Mr. Death Face over there got us lost."

Vincent, by all appearances, didn't move an inch, but his deep voice resonated from beneath his coat. "She insisted she knew where she was."

Yuffie's face grew pink and crossed her arms with a pout. "I did too… I just, wanted to see Tifa."

Perhaps her words were true, but she didn't doubt Vincent's addition either. Tifa merely grinned warmly and laid an appreciative hand on Yuffie's arm. "I'm very glad that you did. You know that you're both welcome at any time, for as long as you like."

Yuffie beamed up at Tifa and stuck her tongue out at the still 'meditating' Vincent. "Where is everybody anyway? Usually this place is hopping."

Tifa withdrew her hand and turned back towards the counter, busying herself with grabbing a bar towel and absently cleaning a spotless bar. "I'm closed on Sundays and the kids are with Barret for the school year." She explained succinctly.

"And Spikey?"

Vincent's eyes stubbornly remained shut, but Tifa was able to discern his attention to the question by his slight pause in breath.

"Out. On a delivery, I suppose." Tifa turned towards Yuffie with a conjured brightness behind her expression.

Yuffie was never really perceptive when it came to other people… and most things, actually, and she wasn't starting now. "Hmph. He's probably finding more Materia, that jerk." Her eyes began to glow with devious plans as she thought more about that prospect.

Tifa rolled her eyes, knowing that the younger girl was devising ways to steal said Materia. "You said that you were meeting someone here?"

The girl snapped to, "Oh yeah! We're supposed to meet him at some building. 'Idiot' something."

"Elliot's Place." Vincent growled.

Tifa smirked, "Yeah, I know that building. It's right in the middle of downtown, facing the new memorial in the city's center. Big green doors. Can't miss it."

"Great! Thanks Tifa! We'll try to come back after we're done. Can't be more than an hour. C'mon Death Face!" The brazen girl marched up to the pale man and yanked on his arm.

Vincent finally opened his eyes and stared hard at Tifa, conveying a silent plea for pity. Tifa laughed and smiled at him and gave a helpless shrug of her shoulders. Vincent looked down in nearly imperceptible disappointment, but glancing back at her before being completely removed from his stool.

"Nearly a year and they only needed directions," She murmured to herself after the abused door was slammed shut. '_Well, at least they'll be back._'


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII, if I did, would I really be writing this story?

Chapter 4

It was rather late by the time they returned, which silently annoyed their planned hostess. After taking a long, relaxing shower, Tifa decided to cook her friends a nice, big meal. When they hadn't returned by 7 p.m. however, she wrapped up everything and stuck it in the refrigerator, grumbling about why she even tried.

By 11 p.m., a yawning Tifa closed her book and un-tucked her long legs to stretch, pointing her toes and relishing in the tight stretch of sinew and muscle. Turning her head she looked out the window facing the street from the downstairs den. A long, tired face reflected back at her, but she dismissed her appearance and focused on the lights outside.

Her bar was located several blocks from the memorial and thankfully didn't garner too much light traffic this time of night. It was home to small consignment shops, artisans, and tinkers who loved their occupation too much to give it up completely after Meteor. The roads were never quite clean, cleaner than most in the fledgling city, but obviously given effort considering the number of planted flowers, broom swept sidewalks, and freshly painted signs. It was relatively cozy and its denizens appreciated its safety, especially knowing that the major forces of AVALANCHE frequented the Seventh Heaven.

The middle-aged seamstress who owned the clothing shop across the street was visibly moving around, locking everything up and closing down. Before she climbed the rest of the stairs up to her apartment however, two little children came rushing down towards her, laughing while they circled her legs and grabbed at her skirts. The woman's mouth opened wide to exclaim as she stooped down with her arms wide, trying to scoop them up. Herding and shooing them back up the stairs with a stern face. Tifa leaned forward earnestly, her throat suddenly feeling strained. The mother's face was stern, but when she reappeared, a warm, adoring smile graced her face as she reached out to tug the light string, leaving her shop cloaked in darkness. The fighter leaned back into her cushion and guided her eyes sightlessly back to the cover of her book, suddenly feeling very disappointed with herself.

After the events of Meteor and Sephiroth, her family was still with her, finding a home in the new Seventh Heaven which was once again run nearly all by herself. She had Marlene, Denzel, Barret quite frequently, and Cloud. A home, a family, a peaceful life… she knew it wasn't perfect, but it was everything to her. After losing everything and everybody else first in Nibelheim then Midgar, Tifa tried to be independent but knew, no matter how much she wished to deny it, that she relied heavily on those she cared about. She did her best to keep her family together and obviously even her best wasn't enough.

"Damn it!" She hissed. Tifa sat up and brought her knees to her elbows, holding her head with her strong hands and pressing the butt of her hand into her eye, squeezed shut. No. No tears were allowed. Not for her. Her fists clenched angrily in her hair as she willed the pain of her failure and inadequacies away.

Tifa's unsinkable optimism began to surface however, and she reasoned with herself that she wasn't alone completely because of her shortcomings. One of the major reasons was by her own choice, or rather, her influence. Marlene and Denzel loved her and Cloud, this she knew as much as she knew that she loved them, but she also knew that going away to school in Corel was the best for them. They would be away from the gloomy Edge, have open fields soaked in sun and fresh air to play in with plenty of children their age. Marlene would have her adoptive father and Denzel would have a much better father figure than his current, usually absent one. Tifa knew that Denzel thought the world of Cloud, and while his idol was an incredible man in so many ways, his mere absence was having a negative impact on the boy. Tifa wasn't sure if he was ready for it, Cloud that is. '_How ironic_,' Tifa thought, '_I feel completely ready for a family of my own but I'm not capable of it. And, the man who is perfectly capable runs away from it_.'

Tifa slowly opened her eyes and relaxed her hands, feeling all of her energy leave her as her muscles loosened, section by section. '_Is that it?... Was I… pushing him too hard? To be in my family…?'_

A bang and a crash downstairs had her jumping out of her seat and flying down the stairs, barely slow enough to throw on a robe over her plain, white night gown. The site that greeted her had her thinking that it could've been worse.

A large, cylindrical turbine looking device lay on the floor next to the front door, looking as if it had been torn from something by the way snapped wires poked out of it. Oil and various other fluids seeped from the device and pooled on her polished hardwood floor while a tall, foreboding man in red used a bar towel to wipe the grime from his gauntlet.

"Vincent!" Tifa exclaimed, shocked and more than a little dismayed about the mess. "Just what is goi-"

"Tifa! Quick! Vinnie's hurt!!" A frantic ninja hopped about holding towels and bandages in her hands that she managed to find.

The bar mistress fixed her eyes on Vincent and quickly assessed him. She immediately noticed the glistening wetness on his black pants as he stood there, slowly wiping his hands, and fixing her with a sideways look, completely indifferent to the apparently desperate situation.

Vincent cast his eyes about him and turned to grab an up-ended chair and righted it so he could sit, fully knowing he'd be forced into one eventually. Tifa smiled and removed her robe so she wouldn't get it bloody, hanging it on another nearby chair and grabbing her first aid kit that their exuberant ninja had only halfway pulled out of the drawer in her effort to save the brooding man, who was currently ripping the hole in his pants to reveal the hole in his thigh. The gun wielder tried to wave the ninja away as she tried to pile towels and bandages on his leg, which looked more like actually throwing them at him.

"Yuffie." He called sternly.

The younger girl halted mid-throw and quivered with the sudden stop.

She knew that the girl was only trying to help in any way she knew how but Tifa knew Vincent enough to recognize his tone of voice and exhausted but warning filled look he was giving Yuffie.

"Yuffie, could you go into the bathroom upstairs and bring me down a bucket full of hot water? There should also be some rubbing alcohol and cotton balls in the medicine cabinet." Tifa instructed gently.

"Right! Good idea! Great idea!" Yuffie babbled with wide eyes, instantly dropping the pile in her arms where she stood and turned to sprint up the stairs.

Tifa tried not to smile as she rummaged through her kit, finding her needle and thread, as she walked back towards the injured man.

"You're good at that." He spoke as Tifa approached and kneeled next to his leg, setting down her kit and beginning to thread a needle.

"At what?" She questioned softly, without looking up and striking a lighter, holding the needle over its flame for a few moments to sterilize it.

"Making her go away." Vincent replied bluntly.

Tifa raised her eyes to meet his and laughed after a moment of searching them, realizing that he hadn't meant to be funny.

"You can't blame her. She's only trying to help." She grinned felicitously. "Besides, Marlene and Denzel sometimes get like that. Wanting to be helpful, but not quite knowing how. Cloud too actually, heh."

Vincent didn't answer, but watched her intently when she paused.

Tifa had stopped short when she had glanced back at his wound. It was a clean shot, but the bullet was still lodged in his flesh, which to her amazement, had already started to heal. Tifa's eyes widened, slowly leaning closer to inspect what was happening.

Vincent's burning eyes remained locked on her face, watching her expressions as she saw what he could do. His wound began to stretch and slightly bubble with new, bright blood as it appeared to be his body rejecting the bullet, slowly pushing it out of Vincent's leg.

"My demons… are weak, when I am weak." He explained, albeit cryptically. Tifa didn't take her eyes off of his leg though, slowly working the bullet out, as she mutely nodded her head in understanding. _'They help heal him.'_

Eventually, the bullet pattered to the floor and rolled until Tifa picked it up and held it in the light with her fingers in fascination. It had come from a handgun, if she had to guess, and was copper colored, but coated in Vincent's blood. Looking back, she thought that she could even see his leg begin to pull together and heal. She thought that this definitely explained how he was so easily healthy after suffering what should have been mortal wounds when they traveled together.

Vincent leaned forward and took the bullet from her hand while continuing his stare. If Tifa didn't know any better, she'd have thought he looked angry, but if she had to put an emotion to his expression, she'd say an odd mixture of wary amusement. After realizing that his irises were more of a maroon than red, it finally registered that his face was actually quite close to hers.

When he didn't move back, Tifa began to grow slightly uncomfortable with the way he merely stared, as if waiting for something. "Wh-what?"

"You're not… disgusted."

Tifa thought he almost sounded disappointed. She frowned and tilted her head.

"Why should I be? Honestly, I think that's quite amazing. Especially when you don't have any Heal Ma-" Tifa stopped when she saw his eyes leave hers for the first time since his intense staring contest in favor of her lips.

She felt as if her legs were asleep, keeping her rooted to the floor as Vincent reached up and rubbed his thumb across her lower lip. Her eyes widened at the contact as her brain stubbornly refused to process what was happening.

Vincent hadn't looked away, but it took Tifa a moment to realize that her door had opened again revealing a blonde-man, in the process of pulling his riding goggles from his eyes.

The broad-shouldered newcomer stopped when he saw Tifa, in her night dress, kneeling on the floor next to a pale, but dark man. His startling blue eyes widened before narrowing on the hand that lingered on Tifa's face before wordlessly, lowering his head and striding up the stairs towards his room, passing a slightly calmer Yuffie who was carrying a large bucket filled nearly to the brim with steaming water.

"Hey Cloud! It's about time you got here! Hey...! Hey! Where ya going?!" Yuffie shouted after him, sloshing water onto the floor. She growled in frustration and turned back towards the other two with an exasperated expression. "I really don't know how you live with that Tifa."

Tifa had watched his retreating, silent back with a sinking heart, and merely attempted a smirk, "I don't… actually."

[[Thanks for reading!! This chapter was quite a bit longer than the last ones and I hope it was all right. Please leave me feedback so I know how I'm doing, I'd really appreciate it!]]


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the wait! I got a little distracted with the rest of the story and wrote out the ending... heh, but don't worry, still working on the stuff in between. :) I'm actually not too happy with this chapter, but I still hope you all like it and will forgive me the errors I haven't found yet in my hurry to get this up!

* * *

Chapter 5

The wall was gray. It was gray, cold, and made out of cement. Perhaps in the light it may have been a more creamy color, but in the early morning gloom… it was gray. No matter how hard she stared at it, that didn't change.

With her arms tucked between her head and her pillow, a curled, womanly figure lay on her side, motionless. The cold didn't register with her, but not because of the robe loosely wrapping her body. She had been awake for over a day now, considering that sleep failed her over the night. Her eyes were dry and unfocused, completing her utterly vacant countenance.

He had spoken two words to her last night…. Two words. If only she had been lucky enough to be awarded as many glances.

"_Cover yourself." He not-so-gently murmured, throwing the robe she had draped over a chair into her lap, whilst glaring down at Vincent._

_She looked at Cloud wearily, after extinguishing the small warmth that had sparked from her brief fantasy that he was worried about her health. It had gotten slightly chilly with the onset of night in the bar, but Tifa disregarded it, perfectly fine in her thin night gown._

_By the look he was giving the other man however, her feminine perception immediately recognized the heated warning Cloud was trying to relay. She had seen it many times on their journey to the save the Planet, at least, when Aeris wasn't around and Cloud was sane. Barret gave such looks indiscriminately to any man that looked her away a second time and Cloud only gave them when he noticed her looking back._

_Vincent merely returned Cloud's glare with his own burning expression and slowly stood to his full height, towering over the ex-SOLDIER before turning and leaving the Seventh Heaven with a dismissive swish of his battered cloak. _

_Cloud slowly exhaled, as if he had been holding his breath. Tifa saw a proffered, gloved hand fall into her periphery, and without thinking, she accepted and allowed him to help her rise. As Tifa stood, her thread and needle fell to the floor, unneeded after Vincent's display and she merely looked down at the items near her feet, trying to understand why _she_ felt guilty. Her brow crinkled and her pursed lips deepened into a frown. She couldn't shake that feeling that _she_ had done something wrong despite knowing that she should feel outraged._

_His large hand lightly fell on her shoulder and she heard his lips open, but nothing was said. _

And nothing else was said as Cloud returned to his room, Yuffie left for Wutai, rolling the turbine looking device out the door and apologizing about the mess, and Tifa retired to her room, curling herself up on her bed and staring at the wall.

Tifa flexed her toes and rolled over, deciding that the bar wasn't going to be opened today either. Today, her walls weren't going to be gray anymore.

* * *

More than one person that day returned home disappointed after seeing the "Closed" sign on the Seventh Heaven's door, barely mollified by the obvious improvements being done on the inside. They often peered in before leaving in resignation, and depending on their preferences, admired the nubile form of Tifa Lockhart as she stood on her ladder and stretched out to paint as much of the wall as she could without having to move the wooden structure again. Her black shorts from her usual outfit were surprisingly spotless. Her lengthy legs however, were smeared with an assortment of colors representing her journey throughout her establishment, as well as the rest of her body.

The surprisingly attractive olive green above her left knee was the beginning of her journey in the downstairs den. The public bathrooms sported spatters of a light, icy blue on her elbows, and the kitchen became whitewashed, where not tiled, and left reminders of its presence crusted beneath her finger nails. Her private and upstairs bathrooms became a pleasant shade of yellow (her forehead and ear respectively), and the children's rooms became a terra cotta orange (the length of her right calf). Currently, she was almost half way done with the bar area and hadn't managed to get any paint on her form yet. It had taken her a lot of deliberating, but she picked another rather neutral color for the public area: a tawny color, that brought soothing warmth and calm to the room. With the room's dimensions and already present accents, it wasn't a bad choice and definitely not offensive for the usual crowd.

Tifa was very glad about how fast the process was going. She had Yuffie and Vincent to thank for that. They both had decided to stay in Edge for the night and had returned that morning to apologize once again for last night, clearly meaning the incident with the machinery, but hinting with their eyes the scene with her blonde housemate. Considering how early she had risen, morning had barely broken when she returned home with her gallons of paint, carried with help courtesy of old Mr. Fimmel who owned the hardware store down the street.

Her friends helped her tape and prime before applying the paint, which Yuffie was surprisingly was quite adept at. It didn't slow her chatter, but it was a welcome noise for the bar maid, who was very happy for the company. Every now and then, Tifa would catch Vincent watching her and she couldn't help the blush that would warm her face. As if a curtain had been drawn, she suddenly became very aware of him: his scent, his presence near her, his warmth, and that feeling of his eyes on her.

It was thrilling to have his attention, but honestly, she had no idea what to make of it. She was flattered, but nervous and more willing to disbelieve that Vincent had any sort of interest in her. Tifa had always known that he talked to her and Cloud the most on their mission, with Yuffie being the exception because it wasn't much of a choice for him in that matter. He appeared to be most comfortable with her; at least that's what Aeris had once said when they shared a room at the Golden Saucer Inn. Tifa admittedly thought he was incredibly creepy when they first met, but after seeing the face behind his collar and speaking with him, she felt strangely intrigued with him. Before now, she had never thought of him in a romantic sense. That was always certainly reserved for Cloud. Now however, with her decision to move on from her hero, anything was possible.

After receiving a call from Yuffie's father concerning their reason for being in Edge in the first place, they left reluctantly, gladly accepting some of Tifa's home-cooked food for the road. Turns out, the item Godo had wished for was a part of the machinery: Materia encrusted power cells that Yuffie oddly enough wasn't interested in. She preferred complete Materia spheres and not simply the slivers and shavings that Godo was interested in. Vincent was merely along for the ride, and the gil Godo was hired him with.

Apparently, her father's friend in Edge was experimenting in using minute amounts of the mineral as power sources. The Lightning Materia inside the machinery had been "swallowed" by the security robot who had been programmed to protect the man's projects and had thought Yuffie and Vincent were trying to steal it, despite its maker giving it to them. They had no choice but to fight it after the robot took the Materia and inserted in its chest cavity. Vincent ended up limit breaking into the Galian Beast and ripping the machine apart, leaving its chest cavity intact, and making its way to Tifa's floor. So, with a hug from Yuffie and a silent nod from Vincent, they were on their way after dinner, leaving Tifa with the bar and two bedrooms to finish.

Shortly after the other two left, Tifa looked behind her to see Cloud walking through the door carrying a brown paper bag and the usual sword on his back. She greeted him with a smile, willing her heart to stop fluttering, and said hello.

"Nice color." He said softly, closing the door behind him and dropping his keys and bag onto the counter. "I brought dinner."

Tifa looked back toward him and frowned apologetically, "I'm sorry, I've eaten already."

"Oh…" Cloud murmured, looking down, suddenly looking deflated. "Then, I'll help you finish painting."

She shook her head and waved him off with a hand. "No, no, that's fine. You eat first and then help, ok?"

He nodded and went about undressing his armor, boots, and dropping his sword next to the counter before washing his hands and bringing down a plate and silverware. Tifa couldn't help but catch a whiff of the food, immediately recognizing the sweet and spicy tang of her favorite dish from Ophelia's Diner. She looked back at Cloud with beseeching eyes and laughed as he was already holding out a fork in her direction as he peered into the bag and began pulling out items.

"You're cruel." She sniffed and grabbed his fork, sneaking a bite before pouring drinks for them.

Cloud merely smiled and dished out the entrée onto his plate, enough for both of them, knowing that Tifa wouldn't get a plate for herself and would just eat off of his here and there. He wasn't a huge fan of what they were about to eat, but he wasn't going to tell her that. It was enough that she enjoyed it.

After so long without seeing each other, she thought that they'd have tons to say, but that wasn't the case as they comfortably began to dine next to each other. They had done this many times before, especially in the beginning when they had first started the delivery service. Tifa would have finished eating by the time he got home and when he brought home her favorites, no matter how full she was, she was always lured to his plate, enticed by the smells and flavors he brought home. Cloud didn't mind it, often he even encouraged it by sitting next to her, nudging the plate in her direction, or simply holding out a fork. It was an intimate thing, but neither thought of it that way. It meant they were close, yes, but they figured that all friends did this sort of thing. Sharing food, drink, and even the eating utensils didn't make them think any more of it. The others never said anything about it, but the looks they shared with each other clearly warned that they better not either.

"And so, all that's left is this room and ours," Tifa finished explaining, but back-peddling after realizing what she said, "That is… my room and your room." She hurriedly stuffed in another fork full.

A blonde head nodded and took a gulp of water. "I think I'd like brown for my room."

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I never would have thought you'd be a brown sort of guy."

His ears and cheeks turned pink. Bemused, Tifa asked what color brown.

"Dark… I don't know… maybe a chocolate brown. Like… your eyes." He ducked his head and looked away, already red in the face.

Tifa was silent for a moment before tilting her head, "My eyes are more red than brown, Cloud."

He dragged his eyes back to hers and scanned her face, "Now they are, but when you were younger, they were browner…" Tifa was taken aback. "That's when I know when you're thinking of when we were kids… or when you're worrying about me. You're eyes turn more brown."

She swallowed the food in her mouth heavily, tasting nothing, and searched Cloud's face, taking in the weary lines surrounding his beautiful eyes, and the guilty expression. Tifa had to look away, her mind whirling so fast that it felt like she was having two separate thoughts whizzing by simultaneously. There he went again, saying things that she would fall so easily for in that vulnerable but eager way of his. _'I'm looking too much into that. He simply likes brown, which happens to be the color of my eyes. It doesn't mean anything.'_

"Well… I'm honestly not sure what I'd like for mine. I was thinking red." She supplied, forcing the conversation along.

Cloud's face suddenly became very serious as he continued to watch her face, trying his best to interpret her emotions. "Red?"

"Yeah… I can't really decide between a bright red and a darker, more crimson color." She chuckled lightly, nervously.

He looked away and picked at his food absently. She could sense that he had closed off and could nearly feel his aura darkening.

"Cloud?" She hesitantly reached out a hand to touch him but before she could he unseated him and brought his plate to the sink.

"Come on, it's going to get dark soon. We'd better finish at least the bar."

Tifa could feel herself growing sad and guilty, but took a cleansing breath and did her best to let it go. She didn't think that this would be easy, but it was difficult letting go of what her heart reacted with. She hated seeing Cloud like this, but she knew that she needed to stop caring for Cloud Strife if she were going to stop loving him.

It didn't take them too long. In fact, they were done within two hours. Thankfully, it wasn't as awkward as Tifa was afraid it'd be, especially considering how dinner ended. They talked about the kids, who Cloud had visited when he rode past Corel, and the progress of their businesses. They spoke of Barret, Red XIII, Cid, Reeves, Yuffie, the Turks, and even a bit about Aeris and Zack, but not a word of Vincent. Tifa noticed this and came to an understanding that she wouldn't mention him in front of Cloud. Assuming that Cloud was a little jealous of the other man made Tifa frown, first thinking that that was merely an arrogant thought in her head and then that even if he was jealous, it was just a day too late for Cloud.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: FFVII is not mine, sadly. I profit in no way from this. Sadly.

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Chapter 6

Tifa sat cross-legged in the middle of her bed looking at her walls thoughtfully. _'Would red really work? Perhaps… a blue, a soft, light blue.'_

It was rather late, yet again, as she sat up in bed at nearly 2 a.m., flattering her walls with even more consideration. The two close friends had finished the downstairs at a quarter to 10pm and spent the rest of the night sitting at the bar and sharing a drink, simply talking. After a while, Cloud excused himself with a yawn and retired to his room, with Tifa following his example soon after. She couldn't sleep though and simply tossed and turned before sitting up, letting her mind meander. So she heard when Cloud left his room around 1 a.m., carefully trying not to make a sound as he passed her door and left.

She did not sigh however, didn't even blink an eye. She was starting to get used to this routine; his absence. _'He'll come back eventually. Besides, what he does is none of my business.'_ Tifa didn't spend the rest of that hour simply staring at her walls though; she had gotten up after he left and organized her room a little bit, wearing her robe over her gown.

She smiled as she thought of it, her fingers absently stroking the material. Cloud had given the robe to her a couple of years ago, completely out of the blue. She had been complaining about being cold in the morning, which was really more of an attempt to start conversation with the man who had begun to become distant with Geostigma, and the next day she found a package on her bed. Wrapped in parcel paper, the robe was very soft and very warm, and a deep, wine red. She usually thought of Cloud when she wore it, which was why it was beginning to fray and wear out in certain areas from nearly constant use.

'_I really shouldn't worry about him. I mean, I'm not his mother or anything. Just a roommate and good friend. That's it. Yeah.'_ Tifa brightened, renewing her conviction to get over the man.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the downstairs door open again and a fit of giggles floated up the stairs. Tifa grew very still. Those were feminine giggles… lusty feminine giggles. The strange, female voice was too quiet to be coherent, but it sounded slightly drunk. The steps up the stairs also sounded slightly drunk, both pairs did actually. Two sets of feet thumped up the stairs slowly and erratically, as more giggles and hushing sounds erupted. What sounded like shoulders bumping into the walls and doors did nothing to cover the laughing.

Cloud had brought home another woman.

Tifa stopped breathing. She had stopped as soon as she heard them reach the top step outside her door. Her heart was beating wilding in her ears, threatening to burst with the strain. Her throat became dry and felt like every organ in her body had been stuffed in it, except her stomach. Her stomach had landed somewhere near the floor by now. Unconsciously her hands had fisted in her coverlet, eyes frantically wide, and mouth open.

Never. Never had Cloud brought home another woman. She didn't even think he'd even kissed one before, much less actually been with one. But by the sounds of things and what she predicted to be the outcome, both assumptions were going to be shattered tonight.

Her hyper alerted ears heard his bed squeak in protest as a pair of bodies fell in to it, and the throaty groan of an appreciative woman. She heard his name in a long, low moan and she suddenly felt distraught, but she couldn't move. She couldn't stop straining her ears to listen and she certainly couldn't stop the hot, burning, searing liquid that rolled down her cheeks, unbeknownst to her. But she couldn't move.

It was the woman's sudden, excited gasp that sent her flying from her room. She only had time to step into shoes and grab her wallet in a brief flash of clarity, before she flew from her room and out the door, tumbling out into the night.

She stopped and leaned against the heavy wooden door, her chest heaving, and her tears continuously coursing hotly down her cheeks. She touched a finger to her cheek and looked at the glistening fingertip in disgust before launching herself from the door and running wildly down the dark street.

'_Damn you, Cloud. For making me cry. I'm not supposed to cry. I can't cry. I'm not allowed to cry. Damn you.'_

_

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_

_[[*Cackles* Heehee, sorry, I couldn't help but keep writing after uploading that last chapter and felt that this was a much better cliff hanger to leave you on until the next one. ^_-. We the deepening drama, I'm also changing the rating to a 'T' just in case.]]_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Yep, still don't own FFVII. Story is mine though. Not earning anything either. Damn. **

* * *

Chapter 7

A slight fog blanketed the city before sunrise as if the night wasn't yet ready to relinquish its hold over the buildings and streets. The sky was that pale, slate color just beginning to hint at a sun, painted over with a light yellow wash, and revealed a front of clouds beginning to roll in towards the eastern horizon. Dew collected serenely on closed windows, lights that hadn't been turned on yet, signs, and every other construction, leaving a slight chill in the air. The rainy season would be coming soon, but it was still far away in the minds of Edge's citizens.

There were many things to do in this new city, which mostly involved building and repairing. Most of their materials came from Midgar's ruins and considering the state that Meteor had left it, it was no surprise that most of the businesses and shops were of the labor or engineering sort. Junk shops, heap shops, tool shops, architects, contractors, muscles of the hiring sort, mechanics, welders, smithies, and the like were all quite readily available. With the rate that Edge had grown successfully however, more entertaining and social activities were finally beginning to emerge.

Surprisingly enough though, there weren't too many restaurants in Edge yet, especially at the heart of it. It was mostly those aforementioned businesses or those that had survived through Meteor's fall and Kadaj's little search that still crowded the city's center. Elliot's Place, an engineering/mechanics building stood out with its bright green doors amid a jungle of recovered steel and iron from the ruins of Midgar, but color was slowly being added to the city as the people finally had the time and means to pay attention to the aesthetics.

Johnny's Heaven was a quaint little café situated on Edge's main street. It was merely an open lot with tables and chairs and a stand that the proprietor, Johnny, could cook on. The small diner claimed the spot between an accounting firm and a new shoe maker's shop that could have been easily missed if one wasn't looking for it. There were no signs or anything, just an eclectic array of tables with umbrellas and chairs and the cooking stand.

A whistling man wearing an apron, carried a paper bag of groceries and was currently walking toward the café merrily, twirling his key ring around his finger. He was an average height with an average face with a slightly above average build. His hair was cropped close to his head in a style similar to that of the military and considering his build, it would have been safe to assume that the military had once been his life. He walked lightly and leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world and was simply walking to enjoy the brisk, pre-dawn air. Currently, he was thinking about that new recipe the Seventh Heaven's mistress had been trying out on her patrons. He wondered if she sautéed or merely seared the chicken first…

Tifa Lockhart was the woman of Johnny's dreams and the object of his unrequited love for years, nearly ever since he had first seen her in Nibelheim in that cute little western outfit. When he had quit the military police and found her again in Midgar, he swore that some higher power was looking upon him with favor and he gladly began frequenting the original Seventh Heaven, if only to catch a glimpse of her and taste her good cooking. His love for her grew even still with respect and admiration as soon as he stumbled upon the new Seventh Heaven while moving into Edge, wondering what he was going to do now with his life.

He thought it was a sign. Seeing the happy smiles on people's faces again and hearing the laughter made him realize how important a place like hers was. The Seventh Heaven was a place to be happy again. It was a place to feel not alone in the world, even if you really were. After Meteor, the people of Gaia didn't have much hope left, but it was Tifa and her bar that gave people hope again.

Johnny abruptly stopped and nearly choked on the very air he drew. He could recognize that hair and shape anywhere. What made Johnny stop and rub his eyes was seeing the object of his heart's desire sitting on a chair, at a table with her head pillowed by her arms. Johnny screwed his eyes shut before snapping them open again in disbelief. Yet Tifa remained, sleeping soundly at the table clothed in nothing but a night dress, robe, and shoes. The picture before him made him weak in the knees and suddenly drop the grocery bag he carried to catch himself on the side of a building.

Her finely shaped, bare legs were crossed at her ankles beneath her chair, covered until the knee by her robe. Her arms had folded tightly together to hold her head in a direction that gave him a faint glimpse of her sleeping face. When she didn't respond after him softly calling her name, he approached her slowly, almost expecting her to suddenly jump up and away screaming. Johnny cautiously lowered his head, trying to see her eyes better for any signs of her waking up considering that some of her shiny, but currently disheveled hair had fallen into her face.

Johnny couldn't help the dopey smile that lit his face after he decided that her sleeping face was almost as beautiful as her angry one. He also decided that it wouldn't hurt to just watch her for a little longer. Staring at her openly wasn't something he could do every day and so he was just going to enjoy it while he could. Her usually pink lips were paler than usual due to the cold, as well as the rest of her face. Faint dark smudges beneath her eyes made Johnny frown however, beginning to wonder why this heavenly maiden was sitting at a table, in the very early morning with nothing but night clothes and boots? He couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch her tenderly, brushing the hair off of her smooth face. The contact made him blush harder, but all romantic thoughts flew from his mind as his hand instantaneously became crushed beneath an iron grip.

The formerly unconscious woman sleepily opened her eyes and sluggishly tried to blink the sleep away, not completely aware of the discomfort she was causing a certain man. "Johnny…?" Tifa quickly realized what she was doing however and retracted her hand meekly, giving him an apologetic look from beneath her thick lashes.

Johnny cradled his hand to his abdomen, briefly fearing for the life of his chosen career as a chef. What chef can cook with only one hand?! He managed a pained smiled for her however and laughed uneasily.

"I'm sorry… I'm usually not entirely aware of what I'm doing when I first wake up." She explained sheepishly, tucking her hands between her legs, as if to say she'd play nice from now on.

Johnny's throat suddenly felt sandy and very, very dry. He opened his mouth to say something but only managed a sound that was more whimper than an actual word. He swallowed thickly and cleared this throat before trying again. "I-it's alright… Tifa." Johnny shook out his hand and clenched it several times to show her that there was no real harm done. He was actually doing an excellent job of keeping the lingering pain off his face.

He did his best not to stare and admire her when she rose and began to stretch, throwing her arms first above and then behind her, rising to the tips of her toes as she worked out the stiffness caused by a night sleeping on a metal chair. Johnny closed his gaping mouth and hurriedly tried to busy himself with retrieving his dropped grocery bag and moving to unpack it behind the stand. He was never really this nervous around women such as her, but there was something about Tifa that clenched his heart, made him awkward as a school boy, and just as weak in the knees.

With a refreshed smile, she followed him to the stand's counter and sat on one of the stools, watching him set him up for the day. She modestly crossed her legs and tried to arrange it so that her robe covered all the essential bits. Tifa was almost as surprised to see Johnny as he had been to see her. She was awake before she opened her eyes just in time to sense something coming near her face. When she had grabbed it instinctually, she almost thought she was still in her dream, and had actually managed to catch the train. In her dream, she had been running and running, running so fast to catch the train's railing to hoist herself onto it, but whenever she came close to it, the train always seemed to gather more speed. All of her friends were on that train, watching her and encouraging her to run faster, waving their arms at her and hanging out from the windows. For some reason Bugenhagen was there too. He seemed to be the one driving the train.

"I didn't know this is where your place was." Tifa began with a friendly tone. Even though she had known Johnny for many years, she wouldn't really call him a close friend. He tended to be around quite often, but never really talked with her. She knew he harbored a small crush on her, but didn't think those feelings went any farther than that considering that they never really had a proper conversation.

"Yeah…" Johnny tried not to look up at her and continued to look a tad pinker than normal. "I, uh… opened it about a little over a year ago." He took a deep breath and braved a peek to get down to the point. "Tifa… what are you doing here? I mean… I'm glad to have you and see you, but… what happened..?"

_Her hyper alerted ears heard his bed squeak in protest as a pair of bodies fell in to it, and the throaty groan of an appreciative woman...'Damn you, Cloud'_

Tifa felt the pain rush back and physically felt it tug at her, weighing her down as the memory of the night before echoed in her thoughts. Her fingers curled into tight fists with the ache of anger, her closed eyes prohibiting the burning to continue, and her breath caught in her throat, blocked by her heart.

She had been relieved when Cloud had come home and things seemed right between them. Despite that one small awkwardness at dinner, Tifa felt confident that they could remain good friends and that she'd be fine without him, without loving him. But the simple concept of not loving Cloud was still fresh and new to her and she felt utterly vulnerable. The events that had driven her from home had almost broken her. It was too much… too fast… too soon. So much so that her emotions were completely overwhelming by the time she could finally think and she had let herself cry. She was angry with him. She was angry at the other woman. She was angry at herself…. Herself, most of all. Tifa's hands relaxed when the sudden rush of emotion left her.

She had run nearly all night. The stars were shining brightly, the cool night wind did nothing to impede her journey and the moon could only help light her way. Her legs had carried her to Midgar in her boots and night gown and eventually, unsurprisingly, she found herself in Aeris's church. She had collapsed into a pew, heedless of the evidence of Cloud's former occupation, and mourned. Everything she had bottled up to that point she let go in racking sobs that shook her body and echoed in the empty sanctuary. Rivulets of tears steadily coursed down her face and onto the fists that clutched her lap in despair, blurring her vision, completely obstructing the image of Aeris standing afar and watching with matching grief and sympathy. Her own otherworldly hands were wringing themselves in contrite anguish for she could not go to her friend with comfort.

Tifa cried for hours, remembering every person that she had lost and left her, and could only wrap her arms about herself as she rocked, sighing, sniffing, and moaning in hurt. Never did she think that Cloud would do that. He must have known how she would feel! Another woman… a strange woman, that… the more Tifa's grieving mind thought, the more it made sense. Cloud hadn't been coming home for a long time until late at night. He spent most of his time traveling, longer than he should need to, and with what he had said, "_You're not her_," perhaps this was that woman he compared her with. Maybe it hadn't been a comparison with Aeris at all. The thought made the bar maid feel worse.

"Johnny… if I were to ever… leave… how would you feel about running the Seventh Heaven?" She asked, evading and catching his worried look before quickly adding, "I mean… it wouldn't be forever, but...." She trailed off with a distant look, lowering her gaze and slightly fixing it on the end of the bar.

The man looked at her with brows furrowed in concern, obviously aware of her evasion. He understood though. Whatever had happened wasn't something she wanted to talk about and having witnessed the pain that crossed her face, he knew it was something horrible to make such a strong person as Tifa make that expression. "Like a vacation?"

"Yeah… something like that." Her voice was soft and quiet, practically translucent.

Johnny's eyes studied her grudgingly. He really hoped that she wasn't trying to run away. With a heavy sigh, he began to nod before giving her assent. "Only for you Tifa… and only for a short amount of time… 3 weeks tops." He winked at her, feeling more at ease. "After all, I have my own place to look after, right?"

Tifa looked at him with grateful eyes and a wan smile. "Thank you."

Johnny felt his confidence fading fast as he lost himself in her smile, feeling his insides melt into a rich, hearty goo. His heart warmed with the sight of her glistening eyes, sparkling with gratitude… her full lips pulled up with happiness… his heart did a somersault knowing he caused that… her cheeks beginning to regain their color… her breas-

Johnny jumped. The pass of a honking car had him righted however, and he shook his head, trying to clear away the fog. He busied himself with prepping for the day's dishes, washing, peeling, and chopping away. Tifa did her part by opening all the shade umbrellas on the tables and arranging the chairs pleasantly, setting out napkins, condiments, and even finding flowers to place in the bowls she had found behind the stand. With what little she did, it was certainly an improvement over his usual set up.

"Did you know, Tifa… that I set up Johnny's Heaven because of you?" Johnny asked out of the blue while slicing potatoes into a bowling pot of water. The addressed woman raised her head in question, dimly noting that the sun had finally broken over the horizon and was beginning to spill its light onto the café. "When Meteor fell and Midgar was demolished, I saw a lot of sadness." He paused as Tifa sat herself at the bar once again. "I used to think, that things would never be the same… that we'd never be able to right ourselves again and prosper. I never thought we'd be happy again."

Tifa's heart sank and her eyes dimmed; her soul was still raw from the deluge of emotion she just recently experienced and Johnny's words weren't helping.

"But when I saw the Seventh Heaven again… and I saw you… I knew that things would be all right." His eyes remained averted but his blush was back. Tifa studied him with a frown, feeling the first stirrings of a glow in her heart at his compliment.

"I first started this little hole in the wall because I saw the way people transformed when they went to your bar. And it wasn't just the alcohol making people happy; it was everything else that you provided for them. You invited these people into your home and you served them with that smile on your face and asked them how their day was going. You listened to them and you talked with them and you continued to smile at them, no matter how bad it got. You cared for them when not many others would. Tifa's Seventh Heaven was a place for happy times in a world severely lacking in that, and it was a home for those without one. So, I said to myself: '_Let me live like Tifa…Give hope to the lost*_.'"

Tifa could only look up at him wordlessly, touched by his honesty. She took in how soft his facial expression had become as he gently smiled, as if looking upon something with great love. When Johnny glanced up, his smile turned bashful and his cheeks grew a bright red.

"Here, ya go. This should fill you up right. On the house." He grinned as he set a breakfast plate down in front of her. Tifa looked at her plate with great interest, but honestly really couldn't tell what it was.

"Thank you… Johnny." She said softly, reaching out her hand to touch his on the counter in gratitude, smiling sincerely up at him, unknowingly creating the most beautiful image he had ever seen with her stunning smile and large, warm eyes. He dropped his spatula and babbled a reply, before excusing himself for a moment to go and wash his utensil.

Tifa stayed just long enough to depart when he first began to receive customers. She finally became self-conscious of her state of dress as it garnered more and more attention from people passing by. She wasn't quite ready to head back to the bar however, so she went to a small clothing store and bought a shirt and shorts to replace her night gown and robe, stuffing them in her shopping bag and wandering about town. She melted in the crowds in relative anonymity that she was grateful for. There was something about being alone on a crowded road that ironically enough, appealed to her current mood.

By the time the street lamp lights began to flicker on and the sun lingered on the horizon, Tifa looked to the sky and knew that it was time to head home. The storm clouds that had been building all day now loomed ominously to take over the sky once the sun fell with the promise of rain. All she felt like having at the moment was a nice, hot cup of tea and a warm bath to sooth her tired body. She had had all day to come to terms with what had happened and she knew that she wasn't yet ready to accept it, and she still felt apprehensive with the thought of returning home. The thought felt dirty to her, for she couldn't help the feeling that her home had been sullied by Cloud's indiscretion.

With a deep inhalation and a tightened grip on her bag, she gave herself a small determined nod and turned on her heel in the direction of the Seventh Heaven. She wasn't going to be run off by something like this. She had to accept it. It was something that would happen eventually and it wasn't something he needed permission for. After all… they were both adults… with no intimate relationship or claim on the other. Tifa inwardly cringed and rolled her eyes at her own thoughts.

She had one last bitter thought as she climbed the wooden and worn steps, and moved to open her door: _'At least… it should be easier now… getting over him.'_

… Right?

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**AN: I'm still pretty new to this whole 'actually publishing' stuff, so I apologize for my lack in consistency in regards to formats and such. This will more than likely be the format I'll be using from now on however. Anyway, I was a little worried about this chapter and how it was going to turn out, but it's not too bad I think. It's the longest chapter so far, which is why it took me a little longer to get posted, but don't worry, the ending is coming... eventually, and assuming that my classes don't eat me alive, chapters will still be consistently posted. So, there is an end in sight, but I really don't know how long it's going to take to get here, heheh. I'm really happy to see reviews so thank you very much for those! They urge me along, so please keep them coming!  
**

*** I re-read the FFVII novel that comes with the special edition Advent Children DVD and was inspired to write this chapter after reading Denzel's story in which he meets Reeves at Johnny's Heaven. The novel is actually several stories from "On the Way to a Smile," and that last italicized bit came straight from the book, pg. 24 to be exact. I wish I could cite it better, but I did my best for what info I could find ^_^'**

**Nojima, K. (2005?) On the Way to a Smile. SquareEnix.**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: The usual: I make no money from this... no matter how much I wish I did.

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Chapter 8

Tifa's ears rang with the silence. The Seventh Heaven was… still. The new color on the walls did small wonders for the gloomy atmosphere, giving it a warmth that hadn't been there before, but the outside light that filtered in washed the insides with the same, storm cloud gray that rolled along the sky.

She slowly ventured in as the refrigerator clicked on, filling the room with its gentle hum. As soon as her hand had touched the door handle however, she had begun a mantra in her head, reiterating mentally over and over as the door had swung open with a small, reproachful creak. _'Please don't be home. Please don't be home. Please don't be home.'_

Naturally, she heard a door upstairs open.

Tifa's blood felt like lead as she saw the woman descend the stairs. She had spent the better part of the day resisting the urge to imagine what type of woman Cloud would bring home. In her brief moments of weakness, she creatively imagined that she'd be an incredibly beautiful, stunning woman that Don Corneo would've killed for. She would've been tall and curvaceous, with honey blond hair, and high cheek bones. Tifa's mind conjured a woman who oozed grace, sex appeal, and money, making her out to be impossibly perfect, just to have a reason to dislike her. The woman who came down the stairs, however, disappointed Tifa.

She was rather petite, perhaps a little taller than Yuffie, and just as delicately built. Her hair was long and straight and inky black, half tied up with a bow, and almost glimmered in some unseen, phantom light. Her skin was pale, smooth, and soft looking, and conservatively covered by a sweater and a long skirt. Her startled eyes, when she saw Tifa standing by the door, were a warm brown, framed by incredibly thick lashes and her full lips were slightly puckered in a silent exclamation of surprise. Everything about her said 'fragile,' 'delicate,' and 'doll-like.'

Tifa could only stand there, staring emptily at the pretty doll, with her bag hanging limply in her hand.

"Oh… hello…?" Her voice was even sweet.

Cloud was suddenly behind his guest on the stairs, staring at Tifa with a slightly opened mouth and an expression his childhood friend didn't even bother to name. "Tifa." He breathed.

The doll blushed prettily and lowered her eyes and her head in a small bow as she passed the taller woman, diffusing a small, fragrant scent of flowers. She had looked back once as she left, thinking to say farewell, but she knew that the attention of the blue-eyed man and the crimson-eyed lady were only for each other as they merely stared unspeaking. The door closed behind her, completely unheard by the duo.

Tifa struggled to breathe, but made no evidence of it as she fixed Cloud with an open stare, her eyes dead, her mouth relaxed but cemented together, and her pale face emphasized by the stubborn dark smudges under her eyes. There were no words she could give him and none that she would accept from him.

Cloud raked his hand through his hair and scratched the back of his head in that way of his that was always so endearing to Tifa. Her hollow eyes slid past him and towards the staircase, gliding past him without so much as touching him, not even sparing him another glance, merely continuing on her way to her room with a small, polite, barely heard: "Excuse me."

He didn't turn around. He couldn't. He could only listen to her door softly close with a faint _click_ and then nothing. His blue-eyes closed, his face grimacing in pain, before relaxing and casting his darkened eyes upwards.

He grabbed his keys and left immediately. The sound of Fenrir's engine roaring down the street.

On the other side of her door, Tifa sat crumpled, leaning against it with her head fallen back to rest against the heavy wood. Allowing herself one final tear to roll, poetically down her cheek.

* * *

The Seventh Heaven became open all week and extended its hours until 2 a.m. Tifa slept and worked, and did nothing else.

When she ran low on supplies, she paid a neighborhood boy to run her errands and had all shipments of alcohol delivered to her door. Considering that she hadn't been open the past couple of days, her regulars seemed to be making up for lost time as they stopped in after work and didn't leave until their wives or husbands or friends finally called them away. Tifa never forced anyone to leave that wasn't causing a problem which was the reason why she spent several nights and days without sleeping. She never complained or looked at the clock behind the bar and did not mind staying to look after those who had no where else to go or those who simply drank too much.

It was one of these nights that an aimless young woman, perhaps no older than herself, came to know Tifa's care. The girl had fallen asleep in the downstairs den, curled on the couch with the blanket the bar maid had draped over her shivering, emaciated body, clutched to her chest in tight fists as her face contorted with grotesque spasms of nightmarish pain. She had Geostigma.

By the way she dressed, Tifa guessed that she was from Kalm, but knew nothing else. She carried no ID or wore anything that might tell more about her. Pale blonde hair covered much of the stigma's signs that covered half of her face, from the middle of her forehead to the bottom of her jaw. Tifa had the suspicion though, that the girl's clothing covered much more bruising over the rest of her body. The fabric was stained black and gray in many areas from the ichor that accompanied Geostigma, much like Denzel's had been. She had staggered into Seventh Heaven, seated herself at the bar, and had promptly passed out, dropping her head onto the wood with a sickeningly resounding thud.

One of her regulars had been hovering near the bar about to order another drink when the girl passed out and with Tifa's help, carried her into the backroom and did their best to figure out what was wrong. While Tifa checked for visual and tactile symptoms, he called one of the few doctors in the city for a house call, but by this point, she had already found the bruising on her face and down along her neck and disappearing beneath her collar. Tifa looked up at the man with a furrowed brow and a meaningful, pitying look.

"She should be here within the hour, apparently there's a woman who's just given birth on the other side of the city," Her regular explained, hunkering down to their height.

"That's fine," Tifa smiled faintly, "We can make her comfortable. Would you mind watching her for a little bit? I'm going to let people know the bar will be closing soon, that way we'll be able to let her rest."

He nodded with a somber expression, looking at the girl with haunted eyes. Tifa laid a comforting hand on his shoulder before she stood, hoping that he wasn't reliving how his wife had suffered. His wife had been one of the first few to develop Geostigma and soon died after the disease had finally been named a couple of years ago. It had taken him a long time to finally let go of the pain enough to stop drinking his memories away, but being in the bar oddly helped, even when Tifa began to refuse him alcohol. His buddies kept him company, making him forget about his drink, (that he sometimes brought himself) which Tifa was thankful for, worried that if he had been alone… he may not have made it.

Tifa nearly dropped her towel when she returned to the bar and caught sight of a dark, crimson-cloaked man sitting at her bar with his hands caressing a clear glass filled with water. She really shouldn't have been so surprised, he had been appearing fairly frequently now, but it was the affect he had on her that caused her to stop in her tracks. A warmth had spread up along her neck to pool in her cheeks while the rest of her body grew simultaneously cold; unable to repress a shiver.

"Vincent," She greeted, smiling as she began to close bottles and stowing them away back in cupboards and wine racks. Tifa didn't try to spark a conversation with him, content with continuing behind the bar, humming some sort of tune. However well-versed she considered herself in the arts of conversing, even with the most introverted, she knew that Vincent wasn't much for it and had learned not to try.

When he came in, as he had been nearly every few nights now, he had developed a routine: He would suddenly appear, late, serve himself a glass of water before she noticed him, and close his eyes, sometimes watching her or the clock. When he came in, she would smile and greet him, and let him be, trying to not make it obvious how attuned she was to him. One of the first things about him that struck her, with her newfound awareness of the man, was that he was capable of being incredibly still. She supposed that many years in a coffin could teach a man to be still, but yet… it still fascinated and relaxed her.

She would work around him, smiling when she caught his eye, and wondering all the while why he was there. After nearly a year without seeing him, and suddenly here he was, drinking his glass of water and scaring her patrons with that otherworldly presence of his.

It was nearly 11 p.m. and the last of the customers were calling their goodbyes to their barmaid with smiles on their faces. Their cheeks and noses were rosy from the warmth and drink, and they let themselves out with laughter still dying on their lips, not minding at all that they were being sent home early.

Tifa pulled the shades down over the windows as soon as they left, first casting a hopeful look outside. She hoped that the doctor would be able to come soon and help that poor girl. Tifa knew her limits and had learned through caring for Denzel that there really was only so much she could do. She turned her concerned gaze over towards the backroom, where her patron kept a vigil over the sudden visitor.

"Your smile hasn't changed," He set his glass down with a clink as the ice settled, keeping his eyes closed, still and cool. The lithe woman jumped slightly at the sound of his unexpected voice and by the tone of it, Tifa knew he disapproved.

"Of course it hasn't," Tifa raised her chin, pretending to be coy, "I'm still me, right?"

Vincent opened his eyes to glare reproachfully at her, knowing that she understood what he meant.

Her composure slowly slipped away and she looked elsewhere, busying herself with turning over chairs and stacking them onto the tables. She knew what he meant.

Her father had once said that she had a thousand smiles, and she never gave out the same one twice. She thought he was silly of course, but Zangen had once said something nearly identical. Tifa was a girl who carried her emotions on her sleeve and let them surface onto her face, most often in the form of some sort of smile. When she was embarrassed, when she was happy, when she frustrated, even angry sometimes, she would smile. She had a smile for every minute emotion, like a manifestation of her heart.

Her smiles had been a bit practiced lately, and she knew that he noticed. _For a man who keeps his eyes closed most of the time or behind a collar, he sure sees a lot._ Even though she was in the service industry where smiles were the way to make a gil, she had tried to keep them natural and not forced, but lately… well, she was trying… that's all she could do.

Tifa paused in her movements as she felt the cold, terror-like pain in her chest beginning to grip her once more as the memory of drunken whispers and throaty moans began to reemerge. Images of Cloud's sad, glowing eyes began to worm their way into her heart once again as she felt the longing and jealousy and hurt and pain and love and anger and every frustration swirl around in her gut and chest, like a homicidal tornado, lifting her only to dash her against the relentless ground.

He had hurt her.

Hurt her much more than when the rest of the villagers tore him away from her. Hurt her much more than the loneliness of the past several months. Hurt her much more than when her mother died. She felt ashamed of that.

She hadn't even realized that she had dropped a chair until she felt Vincent's cool, smooth cloak slide down her arm. With one hand he easily picked up the chair and stacked it upside down onto the table. Tifa blushed and looked away. This was why she didn't pause in her work and why she buried herself so relentlessly in it. If she paused, she would remember, think, and feel that burning coldness.

Vincent's red eye slid to look at her sideways, barely seen through his dark locks of hair and frayed cowl. When she didn't look at him, he gripped her bicep until she did; his eyes pools of simmering, ruby acknowledgement of shared pain. Tifa searched his gleaming eyes as her lips opened with the sudden realization that he did understand… he understood perfectly. She really didn't understand _how_ he knew what could possibly be the matter, but she did know that Vincent had a way of being frighteningly perceptive. Not to mention, her love for Cloud was as obvious to everyone as Cloud's own obliviousness.

She nodded slightly, giving him a very small, but genuine smile, before covering his hand with hers and giving it a warm, gentle squeeze. Vincent was a man of few words but the sheer depth of his very being was enough. He really didn't have to say anything, and for that, Tifa was glad.

Every single one of them had had several lifetimes' worth of grief, battles, and sins, and perhaps that was one of the reasons that they were so drawn together. Perhaps that was how they came together in the first place - a group of tortured souls on a heroic high to save the world. So where did that leave them now? What were they to each other? Were they friends? Allies? Comrades in battle? Or perhaps they were still strangers, acquaintances at best.

Vincent closed his eyes, as if cringing, and withdrew his hand, his fingers hesitating slightly on her smooth skin. He silently exhaled through his nose and gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head, as if dismissing some loony notion as he turned slowly from her.

Tifa sighed as well, wrapping her turbulent thoughts around this darkly-enshrouded man and her arms around herself before casting another worried glance towards the back room, feeling that familiar helplessness she dreaded so much. She knew that Vincent was a troubled man, perhaps more so than the rest of them, and she also knew that there was practically nothing that she could do other than what she was doing now. She was helpless… it was hard coming to terms with that. When Denzel had begun to develop Geostigma, it was Marlene who came to her and asked her to heal him, but when she couldn't the little girl had said she hated her and that _she_ could've healed him. Tifa knew that Marlene really didn't mean it, for she was only a little girl who already had so much taken from her, but even when she had run into her arms crying for Denzel, Tifa couldn't shake that guilty helplessness.

Vincent looked back at her, studying her face and body as she went over to lean against the bar, and if it had been within his nature to sigh, he would have. "Her flowers are still there, even though the water isn't." The tall man said before giving her a curt nod, and seeing himself out just as the doctor appeared at the door. Tifa's mouth opened to question him, but… she knew that he was already long gone. _Why does he always leave like that?_

The doctor confirmed the Geostigma and relieved the man who had actually fallen asleep, leaning against the couch. The girl had been awake to hear the doctor give the diagnosis and they all could hear the prognosis in the undertones of the physician's voice. The girl was going to die… and soon. Nearly 80% of her body was covered with the bruising, her breathing was labored, and her heart beat was faint and slow as it struggled to keep fighting. With a nod, she promptly passed out again, but not before she managed to whisper her name, "Lace."

Tifa kneeled next to her guest with a wash basin at her side, gently wiping her face with a wet cloth and laying a folded one across her forehead. She wished that there had been enough of Aeris's healing water to heal everyone on the planet, but only so much could have been saved before it had absorbed back into the ground or evaporated. A large portion of the world who did suffer had been saved, but those who were too far gone weren't able to hold on long enough to be healed, and there hadn't been enough to save the entire stigmatized population.

_Her flowers are still there, even though the water isn't._

Reddish brown eyes looked up towards the door as Vincent's words echoed through her head. Was he suggesting that the flowers might be able to heal her? The simple idea had been enough to convince her where she had to go next.

* * *

**AN**: Hey there, sorry for taking so long to update! School and work have been kicking my ass, and when I did work on this, I wrote the more interesting bits that will come later on. That being said, the story will start picking up soon, I promise! Apologies for all the angsty-ness of this one, it was actually really hard to write but I hope that it fits in with the rest of the story's tone. Please review! They make me happy. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: FFVII and its characters are not mine, I'm just a fan with a overly active imagination.**

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Chapter 9

Tifa felt slightly silly for holding her breath as she stepped outside, thinking of and counting the number of days it had been since she had last left her bar. Two weeks. It had been slightly over two weeks that she immersed herself completely in her occupation and two weeks since she had last spoken to Cloud.

Comparatively speaking, that wasn't so bad. She had seen him, yes, in the corners of the bar or whenever her eye happened to pass over him in her heady, overdriven state. She knew he waited to speak with her some nights long after the bar was supposed to have closed but she did her best not to give thought to the intense stares he fixed on her as she served her guests, and flirted with that cute but professional bar maid charm. She was relieved when he left or retired to his room when he couldn't wait any longer and was thankful to those that she watched over if only it meant that she didn't have to be alone with him.

She couldn't help but feel angry because of her confusion. Why was he suddenly so aware of her? Why wouldn't he just stay away, like usual? Why did he always have to look at her? Was the anguish still on her face? What did that mean to him? Why would he always walk away when she eventually did turn to him?

She was being avoidant and she knew it. Hell, some would probably call it childish even, but for Tifa, it was the best that she could do at the moment. She didn't trust herself enough to not crumble when he would undoubtedly try to explain the woman he had brought home or remember the way she giggled and gasped and moaned his name.

Barrett had called several times, worried about her. From the way he probed and pointed his questions, it sounded like Cloud had told him what happened or at least how she was currently acting. She grew angry when she thought of Barrett knowing and sounding concerned, as if every word he said was made of glass; as if _she_ were made of glass. The kids knew nothing, which she was glad for, or at least they didn't let on… and by the time she finally allowed herself sleep, she was too exhausted to dream, and too exhausted to see Aeris.

Tifa was saddened by that, and received a whole new wave of guilt. But it seemed that no matter who gave it or even simply inquired gently, she grew angry with those who offered comfort. Her regulars who expressed their concern or even simply noted how busy she was and how she could use more help, were greeted with anger. A frown, a clenched fist, and a mug slammed down onto a wooden table, were all that rewarded her faithful customers. Every time she caught herself doing such things she would immediately apologize, broken and saddened once more.

It seemed though, that no matter how busy she made herself or consciously blinded herself to the small reminders of Cloud in their home, her heart managed to remember waking up on the shoulder of a warm, blond man as the sun began to rise on a fateful day. That was the second time they had slept together. The first time had been that fateful night up on the water tower after he told her his plans to join SOLDIER and become like the mighty Sephiroth. Her father had been furious when they finally found them up there, curled around each other, and sharing his small jacket as a makeshift blanket and the village boys had bullied him mercilessly. That was when she received the lecture that boys and girls get to an age when they see and think of each other differently. She had only half-listened for she was more concerned with that she wouldn't be able to go see him off.

The night under the Highwind was one of her most cherished memories. After their words, Cloud had smoothed his palm across her back soothingly, pushing her along that easy road to sleep and just before she nodded off, she felt his face turn into her hair, he breathed deeply, and kissed her just above her temple with a mumbled apology. She didn't know what he was apologizing for, but it didn't matter, because he was holding her to his warm body and he had kissed her.

The night sky was partially covered by large, black storm clouds that silently curled along, stealing the moon and starlight every once in a while, casting her path in darkness. She had mistaken the rumbling for thunder, but it wasn't until she could clearly see its outline in the gloom that she saw the Behemoth.

Its dark purple skin was inky black in the night and its glowing yellow eyes were like two fires, burning in hunger and maleficence. If she remembered correctly, this kind of monster wasn't too hard to defeat, but she had never taken one on alone before. It was bull-like, with two great horns on its head, held up by a muscular neck and shoulders, and a longer, serpentine tail that was waving slowly side to side as it started to take steps toward her. It was powerful, but not undefeatable.

Tifa set her jaw and easily slid back into her fighting stance, raising her fists, and narrowing her eyes at the beast. She knew she wouldn't be able to out run it, and with the way it was looking at her, it was hungry enough to chase her down until she collapsed. Her fists tightened as the leather squeaked with the pressure, and Tifa was thankful she had brought her Premium Heart, though she strongly wished for a potion or two, and better yet: materia.

With a loud cry, she took off and charged the Behemoth, dodging its horns to land blow after blow to its neck and spine. She used her momentum to flip over its head to land behind it, grabbing its thick tail, accidentally pricking herself on its spines before pulling back with all her strength and flinging it a few feet, successfully throwing it to its side. The beast bellowed as it was pulled backwards and gasped once it hit the ground.

Her head was buzzing, her fists were pulsing, and her body was burning as she fought it. Her chest rose and fell in fast even breaths as her long hair waved in the increasing wind. The fight was taking longer than she hoped, but with every punch and kick she threw, she felt more awake and energized than before. Her bright eyes were alert and wary as the beast picked itself up again, roaring in anger and pain. When it came at her again, she charged as well, but this time its spiky tail came up and whipped her, throwing her to the side, catching the side of her head. Tifa rolled as she hit the ground, wincing in pain from the impact. She swiped her temple with her forearm and frowned at the smear of blood, but when she looked up and saw it panting heavily, a stream of blood falling from its mouth, she smirked.

Her battle cry seemed to echo against the crumbling city walls as she sprinted towards the bloodthirsty creature, catching it by its horns and dragging it upwards with her in a high jump before flipping with it in the air and kicking it back down to the unrelenting ground. Her Meteor Strike didn't kill it, however, it was the Final Heavenly blow she dealt it once she landed.

It finally collapsed with a groan, dying swiftly, and acquiring that eerie stillness associated with death that Tifa still wasn't used to. Without meaning to, she thought of Vincent.

With a quick exhalation, she stretched by throwing her arms above and behind her, rising on her tip toes and squeezing her eyes shut. The Behemoth had dropped star dust as well as a phoenix down, that while wasn't as useful as it used to be, was still quite handy. She pocketed these things and continued on her way into the city and towards Sector 5.

The city was silent and almost as dead as that evil beast that now lay decimated outside. The once thriving metropolis was broken and hollow and in the process of being dismantled for usable parts in the new city just next door. There was no light except for the moon and the stars. She mentally kicked herself for not bringing a flashlight or something to help guide her way, but she practically knew the way there like the back of her hand. Getting there in the dark was a different story, however, and she couldn't help the chills that run up and down her spine whenever she heard something unfamiliar in the tomblike silence.

Tifa let out a sigh of relief once she caught sight of the church and entered it with quickened steps and a feeling of security. She mentally rolled her eyes at herself, for being so paranoid of the small noises and shadows in an empty city, when she had just trashed a Behemoth. Really.

She paused for a moment just outside of the doors as they closed, allowing her eyes to adjust to the even thicker darkness and to take in the familiar, faintly sweet fragrance of the inside air. Her soft footsteps violated the stillness and pounded in her ears, and for the time being she forgot why she had come, momentarily overcome by her heavy memories.

She kneeled down onto the flower bed and beheld the slightly glowing flowers in the brief, passing moonlight with solemn reverence. This was where Aeris came every day and tended her flowers, selling the best and most beautiful to an ugly world. This was where Cloud took refuge while he suffered from Geostigma and met Denzel. This was where Loz nearly killed her and took Marlene. This was where their child was healed. This was where… this was where Tifa fancied herself getting married one day.

Tifa moved her legs from under her and brought her knees up to her knees, holding them with her arms as she looked up at the vaulted ceiling and imagined what her wedding would be like. Even though the church was in ruins, she really couldn't think of any other place more perfect. This sacred place was undisputedly Aeris's and she felt that this would be the closest thing to sharing such an important event with her friend.

Naturally, there would be lots of flowers shipped from all over the world in all different colors. Sunlight would stream in through the holes in the ceiling and the stained glass, casting brilliant, multicolored beams of light throughout the church. Satiny, white fabric would decorate the pews and columns, and a long, white carpet would be littered with petals as the flower girl strew them about. Her dress would be simple, but elegant, with a long train and veil... and instead of a bouquet, a single flower; the only picked flower from Aeris's garden. Her family would be there… even her mother and father… and her groom would gaze at her adoringly, his eyes aglow with not just mako, but love and pure emotion for her.

As the bright church in her imagination slowly slipped away, she returned to knees and began to pick a few flowers to bring to Lace as she recalled her mission, rescuing her from her distraction. She really wasn't sure if this would work, but it was certainly worth a try, especially since Aeris had a knack for posthumous blessings. Vincent's hypothesis that the flowers that had grown from the healing water and absorbed its properties would also contain healing abilities was something she had never considered but it made sense. She wondered if he had already tested it out.

As she reached for a flower, her wolf ring somehow fell off and bounced away a few feet. She slightly panicked, hoping to not lose it in the darkness, considering its significance. The ring had been a gift from Cloud about the same time he had exchanged his borrowed SOLDIER uniform for his new, black attire. She hadn't given much thought about the wolf emblem on his shoulder other than 'why?' at the time, but now she knew that it was a tribute to the man who had saved his life.

"_I know it's him, Teef… I can feel him… just like Aeris. I know they're there for us," He caught her hand and swiped back the ring she had withdrawn. "We'll… remember them together, right?" Cloud's hopeful, sincere eyes bore into hers as he slipped the ring onto her slim finger. _

_Tifa's heart swelled with her love for him as she nodded her assent, but was awash with guilt for not focusing on Zack's memory. He held her hand for longer than necessary, and when Tifa closed her hand over his, he smiled._

She shook the memory away as she searched. Out of the corner of her eye, a woman became visible as if she had been there all along, crouching down and caressing a flower delicately. She looked up at Tifa with sparkling green eyes and smiled warmly, filling Tifa with only a moment's worth of fear before recognition filled in, and Aeris's comforting presence enveloped her in light.

Tifa's eyes widened and her mouth opened, unable to say the things that she had wished she had told her before she died. She froze on her hands and knees, ring forgotten, and she couldn't take her eyes away from her. All this time, Aeris had never shown herself but only her presence to Tifa, but now… here she was, crouching down and smiling mischievously. Her green eyes twinkled.

Words, memories, emotions, all whirled passed her head, all vying for attention and deliverance from her heart to her tongue, but the only thing that she could say was, "I'm sorry."

Aeris gave her a face as if to say, "You're being silly," and when she opened her mouth, she abruptly looked to the side, towards the door. Without thinking, Tifa followed her gaze.

"Tifa?"

She blinked, several times, before she realized that she hadn't noticed a man had appeared next to her. Not just any man, it was Cloud who stood just feet from her. Tifa looked back, but Aeris was gone. She lowered her eyes. "_And thank you_."

She stood, keeping her eyes lowered, holding her small bouquet loosely, and mentally chiding herself for not expecting him to come back. With a quick, scanning glance, it appeared that he continued to camp here, despite returning to the Seventh Heaven almost every night.

"What are you doing here?" He asked softly, studying her with his gentle, blue eyes.

"I'm… testing out an idea." She replied after a moment, still not looking at him, but away to where Aeris had been.

"An idea…?" He probed, nearly matching her whisper.

"There's a girl. She has Geostigma. He suggested that the flowers might work… since this is where Aeris's healing water was."

"He?"

"Vincent."

He paused. "I see."

They were both silent.

Tifa never felt uncomfortable around him before now. She was a relative stranger to jealousy and she honestly had no way to cope. So, she did the only thing she knew how to, and locked it up within her heart. "I'm going to get going, I've probably been gone long enough."

"Wait…" Cloud caught her hand as she passed and turned to her. Tifa kept her eyes stubbornly trained on the floorboards, fully expecting to come undone if she looked up and saw him. His hand came up, his cool fingers first brushing her hair back along her temple and behind her ear before cupping her cheek gently. When he didn't say anything, she sucked in her breath and courage and pulled her eyes up to his, holding that breath. He wore an expression of concern, but his eyes were torn, unable to decide what to convey. They traveled everywhere along her face, scanning every inch, as if searching for her thoughts in her countenance. "You're bleeding."

Her hand automatically came up to the scratch on her temple from her fight, meaning to touch it gingerly but she ended up landing on Cloud's hand. They each froze, suspended in each other's eyes and touch.

They had come to that moment in choreography when two dancers finally meet, dancing alone and skirting one another until that final moment when they found each other, touching and breathing their air. It was that moment when the energy and connection was strongest between those two and it was simply overwhelming.

"Tifa…" He breathed, taking his other hand and running it through her silky hair, bringing it to the other side of her face. Tifa, as she expected, was loosing herself in his proximity, drowning in his radiant eyes. She lost her reason for being there, she lost her hurt, and she lost her self-awareness as he leaned in to her, bringing her face closer as her hand fell away from his.

Her stomach tightened pleasurably as his soft, tentative lips pressed lightly against hers, coiling tighter and tighter with every soft kiss. She was dreaming. She had to have been. Perhaps it was just another vision, like Aeris kneeling by the flowers. This wasn't really Cloud kissing her so lovingly, moving his lips with hers as if whispering song. She couldn't help the tears from escaping, thinking that this wasn't real and just some sad hallucination. The tears caught on his hands, snapping him from his own reverie unwillingly.

"You're crying," He pulled away to whisper roughly in surprise and concern.

Tifa gasped and took a step back. What was she doing?! Why had she done that?! Her hand came up to her lips in shock, her eyes wide, and her head shook in stubborn disbelief, unaware of the tears.

"I-… we shouldn't have done that." She rushed out in a forced exhalation, continuing to take a few steps away, still holding on to the flowers with a dangerous grip. Cloud's brow furrowed and he tilted his head in confusion, taking a small step towards her but stopped when she quickly held up a hand to stop him.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Tifa fixed him with a broken, panicked expression.

"Tifa… I…" He held his hands up in supplication at his sides in a confused shrug as he shook his head.

"Why? When you have _that girl_?" She felt her brows descend and did her best to stifle her anger. Her arms came up to hold her, to hold her emotions in.

Cloud froze and the color drained from his slightly tanned face. "What do you mean?"

Tifa straightened and narrowed her eyes. "You damn well know what I mean," she looked at him accusingly. "I heard her with you… that night."

"Tifa-" He took a large step closer, but she nearly yelled, "No!"

"Just… stop." She looked away, feeling drained. "Please."

With great effort she turned away, walking quickly out of the church, clutching her flowers to her chest. It almost seemed like a backwards marriage as she walked down the aisle, her groom at a loss for words.

She was just going the wrong way.

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**AN: Sorry, heh, the story just keeps getting more angsty by the chapter! The kiss wasn't meant to happen, it just sort of did when I wrote it. Apologies also on the fight scene. I've never been good at writing battles, so I kinda just plowed through it. Thank you for your kind reviews! I really appreciate hearing what you think of it and all your feedback. :) **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Is it really necessary to say that FFVII and its character are not mine and that I do not make money from this over and over again?**

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Chapter 10

The wall was still gray. It was cold, gray, and now damp cement, made moist by the thick humidity in the room. It was nearly 9 a.m. and not even the sun could cast a warm glow upon the still unpainted walls. Tifa stared hard at the offending wall, not really sure she was ready to start her work day. The bar wouldn't open until noon, but for the past two weeks she had already been wide awake by this point, opening blinds, windows, setting out chairs, and beginning to cook the midday meal. Bloodshot eyes sluggishly looked towards the windows forlornly – it was still raining.

Almost as soon as she exited Sector 6 not too long ago, it had begun to pour. The storm clouds had blackened out the night sky, dropping torrents of thick raindrops onto the jaded woman. Lightning streaked across the sky, lighting her way in brief flashes of electricity, giving her more cause for the gooseflesh that rose on her arms than the wind and rain. She had walked slowly, in no real hurry; for she knew Cloud wouldn't come after her. She was wrong of course, he had trailed her the whole way, but she wasn't letting herself see that.

All she could think of on the way back home was: Why…? Why? Why!? Why!

She hadn't misheard that night had she? She had heard the girl calling out Cloud's name, right? She hadn't heard his voice, but she knew the sounds of his boots like she knew her piano scales. She knew that it hadn't been her imagination…. When she got home, the girl had been there! She had said, "Oh… hello?" as if Tifa was the intruder.

When she returned home, she hadn't bothered changing her clothes despite being soaked to the bone, she simply headed towards the cabinets for her mortar and pestle. Beneath her mental questioning rant, she had debated how she was going to use the flowers on Lace. She had settled on grinding the flowers into a paste, as opposed to dropping the petals in tea or having the girl simply consume them. So she did just that and ground away with a vacant expression, watching as the beautiful flowers were destroyed and resulted in a gray-green, lumpy mush. Lace was sleeping peacefully, for which Tifa had a flicker of gratefulness, and did not stir as Tifa applied the paste to her bruising with a thick paint brush she had found in the children's room. She lightly covered it with bandages and pulled the blanket over her patient once again from where she had probably kicked it.

Tifa continued to watch the rain from her bed, knowing that she should go check to see how the other girl was doing, but she couldn't seem to pull herself away from the mesmerizing curtain of precipitation. Her cold hand rose to her lips, her fingers moving along her mouth, imitating the way Cloud's had moved along hers. _'It was our first kiss_. _It was very warm. His tongue… it almost touched mine. It was very warm… our first kiss…Cloud.'_

She felt light-headed as she pushed herself up and out of bed. She knew it had been stupid to leave herself soaking while she attended the girl and outright idiotic to have gone to bed that way. She still wore her clothes, which were still slightly damp. Her skin felt like a sponge, cold to the touch, but burning. Using the wall, she made her way downstairs and checked on Lace, who was still asleep. When she pulled back her bandages, Tifa was amazed to see the bruising was beginning to disappear. It certainly wasn't entirely gone - the most severe areas were for the most part a mottled purple, but the color was returning to her skin tone and her breathing appeared to have evened out.

Tifa sat back onto her haunches and gave a slight grin, thrusting her hand back into her hair and shaking her head in wonder. "Well, I'll be." She was very relieved that Lace would live. It meant that with her life intact, all those who loved her wouldn't be sad. It was just a shame that they couldn't have figured it out sooner – all those lives that could have been saved…

Her face grew thoughtful. Was this… a cure? Could they use the flowers to create a cure? She knew that Aeris's powers were great and could never be replicated, but could they be able to use her flowers to heal the rest of those suffering in the world? Such a thought almost seemed sinful to think, or at least too good to be true.

Tifa unleashed the strongest grin she could in her state and stood quickly – quickly regretting it as she swayed on her feet. She worked her way through her light-headedness though and headed for her phone. She knew just the person to talk to about this. There was no way in Hell that she wanted to let ShinRa get a hold of this information, but they did have the means and the ways to investigate something like this. If they could use that power, they could really help people, and perhaps, just perhaps, the world could finally heal. But what was the price? What could go wrong? Tifa considered these thoughts as she got through to the one man she trusted in the position to do something with this.

"Hello, Reeve? … Yes, it's me… I'm fine, how about you?.... Well, you see, I was wondering if we could meet? I guess I have a favor to ask." She had begun to pace the room, but she fell into a chair once the room started to spin. Her body had begun to ache and her head pounded something fierce. "No, I understand, tomorrow is fine… thanks, you too."

Tifa gave a long exhale and shivered. She was sick, and she knew it. She shivered again and stood to leave a closed sign on her door. As much as she didn't want to, she knew she wouldn't be able to work the bar, much less cook anything in her state. She was half-way there when her body suddenly began to burn and her vision began to slide sideways and she felt herself falling… falling… falling until she landed against something hard but warm. Tifa grimaced as her head burst into pain and before she completely lost consciousness, she looked up and saw a pair of blue eyes wide with panic.

All was darkness, and in it a young girl's voice echoed: _"Whenever I'm in trouble… my hero will come and rescue me."_

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She awoke before her eyes opened, resurfacing to hear the fading end of thunder; closely followed by another loud, explosive sound that crackled and shook the house, making the windowpanes rattle like china cups. She was also very warm and dry, but there was a damp, heaviness on her forehead. She opened her eyes and had to wait several moments for her vision to stop swimming and her mind to catch up from where it had left off.

The room was dark; she was in her bedroom, but she could make out a broad back facing her from the end of the bed. Even without the blonde hair, she could have recognized Cloud in a heartbeat. Tifa rolled her eyes upwards and unintentionally let out a small scoff. She had kept Cloud under her watchful eye ever since he had showed up in Midgar, and now she thought that perhaps she had studied him a little too much over the years. She could pick him out of a crowd, recognize his sound and scent with her eyes closed, and could read him like a book… though lately, he might as well have been all Greek to her.

He must have heard her scoff, for he whipped his head around with startled eyes and quickly laid down the book he was reading. Tifa noted this; she had never seen him read a novel before. She watched him with bright, feverish eyes as he moved to sit closer to her and removed the wet cloth she assumed he had placed on her forehead. With his bare hand, he felt her forehead and shook his head with a grimace, before rinsing the cloth in the large bowl beside her bed and replacing the now cool cloth on her skin.

He retracted and seemed to partition himself off, bowing his head and letting his hands fall between his legs. "You scared me, you know? Passing out like that?" He rubbed his neck tiredly, and spoke to his knees.

Tifa merely looked at him, unsure of what to say. Perhaps she should apologize?

Cloud drew in a large breath and let it out in a rush, before looking at her with a smile that didn't come anywhere near his eyes. "Don't do that again… ok?"

She looked away.

They were silent, awkward, and unsure of each other and themselves. Tifa simply felt like ooze, if such a feeling was even possible; feverish, sickly, ooze, that was currently in one of the most uncomfortable situations of her life. It really didn't seem like he was going to leave her any time soon, she mentally huffed at this observation, noting his lack of shoes, gloves, and armor. It was an appearance that she rarely saw, and despite being mad at him, it made her smile.

"Hey… what's that you're reading?" She croaked, having to clear her throat with a racking cough. Her eyes focused on the now closed book in his hand.

Cloud slightly brightened, as he limply held up the book with a shrug, "Oh, uh… one of the Chocobo Breeders at the Golden Saucer gave it to me… it's, not bad." His demeanor changed as he looked down at the book with a small smile, briefly fanning through the pages.

"What's it about?" She felt like she was swallowing sand.

"It's about this old man, a magician, and well, would you want me to read it to you? Since…?" Cloud looked at her a little shyly, but with raised, hopeful brows.

The pounding in her head slowly pounded out the reason why she was upset with him in the first place, and her body flooded with affection for him. She closed her eyes and smiled, nodding and pulling her blanket up to her chin. In her mind's eye, Cloud's words painted such vivid pictures that she could clearly see every detail and hear every word the old man growled. In every word, she could also hear Cloud's smile, but then, she wasn't sure if she noticed this before or after she slipped into a dream filled slumber.

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When she awoke again, she was alone and the room was bathed in darkness. A small ray of light filtered from beneath the space between the door and the floor, and faint laughter made its way upstairs. Tifa's brow furrowed, dislodging the damp cloth on her forehead, as she struggled to think coherently_. Is the bar open?_ Cautiously, she slowly sat up, waiting for a greatly diminished vertigo to pass and popped out a leg from beneath her warm covers, planting a bare foot on the cool, wooden floor.

She gingerly made her way to the door, slightly hunched over, and dimly aware that she had been changed out of her wet clothes and into dry, rather large clothing. The light from the hallway blasted her and she recoiled with a grimace, squeezing her eyes shut and inhaled with a hiss. _How long have I been out?_ From the sounds and smells, it certainly sounded like the bar was open, but wasn't very busy. With a hand trailing along the wall, just in case, she made it a few steps down the stairs when a blonde man in a black shirt carrying a tray of food began to make his way up it, a white towel hung over his arm.

Cloud glanced up and froze, causing a little bit of the soup he carried to slosh a little over the brim of its bowl. He visibly swallowed, before rushing up the rest of the stairs with a reproachful frown. "What are you doing up?" With his hands otherwise preoccupied, he leaned forward quickly and pressed his forehead against her before making a low grunt. "You're still feverish."

Tifa gave him a look with "_You think?"_ written all over it, before closing her eyes at a sudden head pounding.

"Come on, let's get you back –"

"Hey Cloud! You're going up there again?! She was fine the _last_ time you checked…. 5 minutes ago!!" A loud, feminine voice bellowed from downstairs, which was met by a chorus of male laughter.

Cloud blushed and sighed, not looking at Tifa before taking a step to the side, revealing Tifa's form to the little ninja at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey! You're awake!" Yuffie jumped up once with glee, before rushing up the stairs and taking Tifa's elbow to guide/pull her down the rest of the stairs despite her current state of dress.

"Yuffie, I don't think it's a good idea to take her down there." Cloud called down after her.

The girl froze mid-step and seemed to think about it, before her shoulders sagged with an exhale. He was right, but she wasn't going to admit it. Yuffie stepped in front of Tifa and pushed her instead back up the stairs gently, meeting absolutely no resistance from the fighter.

"Don't worry about the bar. Cloud and I have it handled, and that Lace girl has been a big help – said she owed you or something." Yuffie explained with a large smile, depositing Tifa next to Cloud again. She looked at the couple up and down for a moment before grinning with a small snort, "You know, the whole wearing each other's clothes might be cute… if it weren't so nauseating, fufufufu!" She rolled her eyes and hopped down the rest of the stairs.

Tifa looked down at herself, then at Cloud who looked anywhere else but her with a flaming face. It was true, they each wore a black shirt, and by the looks of it, she was wearing one of his and perhaps… his boxers?

He stuttered, before clearing his throat awkwardly, "I uh-… um… I didn't know where you kept your clothes… and…. Well…. What you were wearing was still wet… and… you know… that's bad….and no one else…." His speech was only getting worse.

She laid a hand on his arm gently with a tired expression, "Cloud," she whispered, "I'm not really in the state to care right now… it's fine." She quirked the side of her mouth as a hint of a smile. "_Our first kiss…"_

He expelled a large breath, paused as if about to say something else but thought better of it, and led her back into her room. With care, he helped her back into bed and propped up her pillows so she could sit up and eat. It really wasn't what she had in mind, but Cloud insisted she eat it. It wasn't anything she made, but it turned out that Lace was a chef back in Kalm.

When Tifa inquired about her, Cloud shrugged and told her only what he knew. Lace had awakened shortly after Tifa had passed out and with introductions, and a lot of assumptions, they figured out the lengths that Tifa had gone to, to cure her. Lace was grateful and just as she was trying to find some way to repay her, Yuffie had bounced in looking for a good meal. She had been the one with the idea to open the bar for Tifa, knowing that every day the bar was open was valuable and important for her family. Cloud had simply kept order, helping here and there, and constantly checking in on her, much to the other girls' amusement.

"Vincent had also stopped by," Cloud's voice was light, and despite being sick, Tifa picked up on the stiffness of it. His face remained neutral, but his eyes were storming. "I told him that you were sick, so I had him leave."

Tifa raised her eyebrows as she took a small spoonful of her delicious soup. It was very good, and even better knowing that she hadn't made it herself. There was also something decidedly better about a meal made for you…. And brought to you in bed. "Had him leave?" She echoed.

"Well, not _had_, but he left."

"I see." Tifa figured that he would have. She knew that he came for her company; it wouldn't be like him if he came for the atmosphere. "And speaking of seeing…" She looked at him slyly, "Just how much did _you_ see….?" She plucked the shirt she wore.

Cloud looked at her in alarm, face transitioning back to red promptly, and he poised as if ready to bolt. "N-nothing… well, a little… but I did my best not to look, I swear!" He looked at her shyly, clearly embarrassed, "It's just that, you _had_ to get out of those clothes…"

"_Our first kiss… so warm…"_

Tifa nodded and sipped her tea; sweet, how she liked it. "I understand, Cloud."

He nodded as well, and looked down at his hands, letting silence settle in between them. "Teef… about… _last night…_"

She looked up at him slowly, above the rim of her cup, inwardly steeling herself for his words. She couldn't help the building feel of alarm.

"I'm… sorry, that I scared you… I didn't mean for it like that…" He told her this softly, quietly, still looking down hard at his hands. "I just… Tifa, you…. To me, you…" His hands clenched the bar towel tightly, slightly shaking with the strain.

"Cloud," She called his name to stop him, "Whatever you are going to say… I don't want to be sick when I hear it… ok?" Tifa didn't think that she could handle anymore pain, not right now.

He looked at her with a surprised face, before nodding in understanding. "Sorry… I, I'll let you sleep then." He stood and watched her set the tray of food he had brought to the side onto her night stand.

She looked up at him, when she turned back; studying his posture, knowing that he was struggling with himself right now. She made a small sound of exclamation when he took a deliberate step towards her, bent down, and embraced her tightly. "Don't leave me, Tifa," his face nestled in her neck, his lips feathering across its sensitivity.

The whisper that left his lips ghosted over her skin, sending a wave of heat through her body, competing with the fever. She was shocked, but her hand eventually found purchase with his hair, running through its feathery texture, soothingly. She had no words for him. She couldn't answer him; not when her objective was to get over him. With actions like this though, it was going to be increasingly difficult to stop loving Cloud Strife.

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**AN: Ok, I guess we've passed the half-way mark of the story... or 2/3rds... hmm, we'll see. :) Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, as always I really appreciate reviews! Just a few sneak peaks... you'll be seeing "_that girl_" again really soon, as well as scene between Vincent and Tifa that I'm really excited and eager to see what you think of it!**


	11. Chapter 11

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**Chapter 11**

"So, you're saying that it was the flowers that healed her?" He rubbed his beard speculatively, with a thoughtful frown.

"Yes, Aeris's flowers." She repeated, leaning back into her pillows.

The good-looking, older gentleman currently sitting across from her, tended to make time for those five very special people who had fought for the world, especially the woman currently lying in bed in front of him. With his age and the position he had been in with Shinra, in which he mostly observed (since no one truly listened to him), he could tell that Tifa was a special person with a rare heart. If anyone needed special attention, it was her, not because she needed it, but because she deserved it. So, it wasn't unnatural for him to make his secretaries rework his schedules just to make time for these people. He wasn't close to any of them, especially since they really only knew him as Caith Sith, but that really didn't change how he felt about them, despite his unique position.

Accordingly, his first stop of his day was to the Seventh Heaven at an hour of the day that was obviously not something that they usually saw. Yuffie had curled up next to Tifa on her bed, hovering on the brink of sleep, and twitching every once in a while as her body tried its best to return to slumber. Cloud leaned against the wall near the door with his arms crossed, his hair slightly matted from sleep which gave him some semblance of normal locks. The woman their topic partially concerned slept on in the den, having returned to it after she answered the door and woke the others; and Tifa had stayed in bed, allowing the others into her room.

"Hmm…" Reeve appeared to be thinking as he leaned forward in the chair beside the bed with a supporting hand on his knee. "So, you think that this could be a cure for Geostigma?"

Tifa did her best not to sigh loudly. She wondered just how many times he was going to rephrase this. "Yes, I do."

He looked at her then, "And what would you like me to do about it…? I know that ShinRa isn't exactly high on your favorable list."

She pursed her lips and folded her hands above her stomach, "I know, but… isn't this worth it? If there's some way that ShinRa and all of its resources could somehow find a way to cure all those people with Geostigma in the most effective way… then, then it shouldn't matter." She looked him in the eye, "I trust you Reeve Tuesti, and I'm trying to ask you if you think that it can be done without destroying all those flowers and her church?" She looked down at her hands, "Saving people is important… but so is keeping those flowers… to us." Tifa looked over at Cloud who met her eyes with gratitude.

Reeve nodded in understanding, reclining, and flicking a glance towards the other man. "Once Rufus gets wind of this, he's going to want to go in and dig everything up, before or after he's picked every single flower to experiment on. The church will be defiled, and more than likely the flowers will never grow again... He certainly has a tendency to kill things." He crossed his arms and inclined his head, as if he could see exactly such a thing happening.

"You wouldn't tell him… would you?" Tifa's brow knitted. "I mean… you don't really work for him anymore…"

Reeve looked back at her with raised eyebrows, "Miss Lockhart, do you truly believe I could do such a thing?"

Tifa blushed and shook her head, "No…" She still hated ShinRa, very much so, and she realized with sadness that she still wouldn't trust Reeve completely, even if he was the one in charge of WRO and had pretty much told Rufus to shove it. "But what can you do without letting him know?"

The older man smirked at her, "Simple. I keep it secret."

She quietly chuckled, feeling tension drain from around her heart. It was still filled with worry and uncertainty, but the overriding feeling of hope remained above it all. Tifa looked down at Yuffie next to her and gently brushed a lock of hair away from her forehead. "What can you promise me?"

Reeve made another thoughtful noise and looked up towards the ceiling, pausing while he thought it over in his head. "I can promise you, that I will do my best to keep the sanctity of the church and will only study the specimens that you allow me." He smiled warmly at her, in a way that strongly reminded her of her father.

Tifa studied him, thinking of all the oily smiles that ShinRa employees had once donned continually as they reassured the public of their safety and the harmlessness of their methods. Reeve didn't have one of those, instead he had a genial smile, not too big to seem forced and not toothy. It reached his dark eyes and lit his face. He made her want to smile again too, and he succeeded as she nodded. "I accept."

"You're a bright woman, Tifa. I'm glad that you thought of using the flowers in this way."

"Actually, it was Vincent who suggested it." Tifa supplied warmly, dismissing his compliment with a shake of her head.

Reeve couldn't help the surprised expression, "Vincent? Well… I guess that shouldn't surprise me. He was a Turk after all, and a very good one at that."

Cloud, visibly agitated, took this moment to leave the room at the mention of Vincent; everyone, but a sleeping Yuffie, paused and listened as his boots thudded heavily down the stairs. Reeve looked behind him where Cloud had stood, then back at Tifa, noting her down-turned face and slightly sullen expression. He inwardly chuckled at the young couple; they were so easy to read. If he had to bet money, he'd say that Vincent was becoming a bit of a rival to Cloud and from the expression on the fair maiden's face, he'd guess that she knew it too.

"Well, my dear," Reeve began to rise from his chair, "I must get going. I'm glad that you are feeling better. You certainly have plenty of people to care for you." He winked as he turned to leave.

"Thank you," She answered softly, "And please… head to the church and pick a few flowers, just to get the research started, but... just a _few_." Tifa held his eye meaningfully, trying to convey to him that she would try her best to put aside his affiliation with ShinRa. He nodded with a smile and excused himself from her room.

She waited until she heard the front door shut behind him with eyes closed and a deep breath before gathering the will power to heave herself out of bed. Her head was much clearer today than what it had been just last night and she smiled to herself as she knew that she had a certain childhood friend to thank for that. Tifa slid her pale feet into slippers and shuffled into her bathroom for a long, relaxing shower; leaving Yuffie to softly snore towards the wall.

The new, pale yellow walls made her feel cold as she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. After the burning heat of the fever, however, the cool air felt good on her skin and she disrobed with a small measure of relief as she moved to prepare her shower. She was very happy for the new coat of paint that graced her bathroom walls. Paint wasn't exactly a common commodity within Edge, in fact only Mr. Fimmel carried it, merely because people were really more worried about having structure in their lives than pretty walls and pictures. To her though, it provided a small refuge from the oppressive gray of the outside world; it was enough to see bright, happy colors instead of feeling it.

The bar maid with the alluring eyes and sleek, toned body looked at herself in the mirror above the sink, not cognizant of the dark beauty she was graced with. When she saw herself like this, standing in the nude as the hot water induced a warm fog around the cold mirror, all of her appraising attention went to the clean, thin scar running across her chest. Pearly, scar tissue raced from near the top right of her left breast down to beneath her right one, gleaming in the light. It was thin, mother-of-pearl in color, and remained to remind her of the hell she escaped.

Tifa shut her eyes painfully, reaching up to gingerly brush her fingertips along the length of Masamune's bite. Her town had been completely destroyed that night… everyone… killed. Then ShinRa, had the audacity to re-make it, as if it'd fix everything, as if everyone she had ever known hadn't existed, like a figment of yet another nightmare… Her chest had burned when it was slashed open, burned like her home… like her neighbors… like her friends… her father…

Her fingers began to curl, her nails pressing into her flesh around the scar – she wanted to rip it away from her skin. This thing that Sephiroth gave her… she wanted to scratch it away, tear it from her skin, create something of her own doing, and not his. Her breath came quickly and her eyes focused on her hand poised to ruin her skin, but when she noticed her face in the mirror, she held her breath and her hand froze above her heart. Her face was dark, empty, and hateful. Her eyes looked black, hooded by a lowered, ugly brow, and her mouth was clenched, her lips slightly parted to bare her teeth. Tifa dropped her hand to her side and bowed her head. She wondered if she'd ever be able to let this go too. Her other hand came up to her face, hiding its ugliness from her reflection. Then it rubbed briskly, as if to wipe away the hate and the darkness. When she raised her head again, she was grateful for the condensation that had misted over the mirror.

She turned and climbed into the shower without another glance, enjoying the burning water as it sluiced down her reddening skin. She went through her usual motions with a heavy, raw heart; scrubbing hard at her skin, especially around her chest. Her shower was short as usual, and by the time she was out, Yuffie was still asleep on her bed and all was silent throughout the rest of the house. It was barely 10 a.m. when she looked at the clock and with a gurgling stomach, she decided, with a changing mood, that breakfast was in order.

Cloud wasn't to be seen downstairs, but a note on the counter written with his small handwriting let her know that he was out on a delivery somewhere. Without missing a beat or a second thought, she pulled out eggs, flour, butter, and milk among other things and began to cook. She wasn't a bad cook, in fact, some people other than Barret called her good. However, it was a skill learned more for necessity than actual enjoyment; not to say that she didn't like to cook, she just preferred not to when she had the opportunity.

"That will wake her up, you know."

Tifa nearly sent the eggs in her hands flying above her head as she jerked, hard, in surprise at the sudden, low, voice from behind her. She whirled around and glared at the caped man, nearly breaking said eggs in her tightening fists. "Don't do that!" She admonished with a hiss. "You're always coming out of no where!"

Vincent merely looked at her, like a puppy that was paying full attention to his mistress, but just didn't seem to understand what she was going on about; devilishly innocent. He leaned against the counter behind her, with his arms crossed, and what may have been an amused smirk.

"And what do you mean?" She huffed and turned back to her pan, cracking the eggs and dropping them in to fry, filling the air with the sizzling sound of breakfast cooking.

"You're going to wake her up with the smell of food."

Tifa looked over her shoulder at him as if he was being absurd, then by the growing anxiety-filled expression on his face, she realized he was speaking of Yuffie. She nearly laughed at the idea that the unflappable Vincent Valentine was unnerved by a tiny, little ninja girl... or at least what remained of one, she had grown into a woman quite a bit.

"Oh, come now, that wouldn't be so bad?" She teased with a grin, adding salt and a ground pepper onto the sizzling eggs, moving gracefully over to finish stirring the batter for the pancakes. She didn't expect an answer and wasn't surprised when she didn't receive one. Tifa didn't realize that she had started to hum during her ministrations at the stove. It would have made any normal bystander wonder if she truly enjoyed dropping slices of bacon onto a skillet, deftly avoiding the occasional popping of burning oil.

When the humming stopped, her hands stilled, the cooking sounds kept on in the otherwise quiet kitchen, and she asked, "Hey… Vincent. Why is it… that you've been coming around so often?" She swore that she could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head. She didn't dare turn around. She flipped over a pancake.

Honestly, she really had no idea what made her ask that. Perhaps, she thought, that the fever had burned away a few brain cells – at least the ones needed in order to think around the stoic man. Almost a month ago, after nearly a year without hearing a word from him, he suddenly appeared at her bar, calm and collected as can be, and just as incredibly handsome as he had been two years ago. Then he came more frequently, always unannounced, always late, and always making her frustrated with confusion. And the looks. Oh, the looks. If she had been able to have conversations with him just from his looks alone, she could have written books. And the touches. Perhaps it was merely this new found awareness of him, but it seemed that he touched her whenever he could. They were merely slight brushes, mere whispers of contact, but she felt it. She could feel his heat. In this way, he wound her up so much that she felt like she could burst.

"To see you."

Tifa's eyes widened; she couldn't hear the sizzling anymore. Vincent was a dastardly indirect, but blunt man, and yet here he was: surprising her by answering, and shocking her by answering it directly.

She slowly turned around, searching Vincent's eyes, trying to find whatever he was not telling her. Her lips pursed to form a syllable when her name suddenly rang out through the bar.

"TIFA! That smells delicious!" A currently, wide-awake Yuffie stood at the door with a large grin on her face, completely shattering the moment that had wrapped up the other two.

The barmaid blinked rapidly, as she turned back to her occupation, quickly turning over the cakes she had neglected. Tifa hastily made herself busy, deciding to start putting away ingredients by grabbing the bag of flour and quickly turning around, only to ram into a solid, wall of broad chest, sending white flour up in a cloud. Vincent had soundlessly crept closer until he was directly behind her and now loomed over her… utterly covered with flour.

There was a pregnant paused before Yuffie was laughing hysterically, clutching her stomach and pounding the wall with her palm. Tifa grimaced and began apologizing, doing her best to dust him off. He suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"May I use your shower?"

She nodded dimly; watching as he quickly retired the kitchen and ascended the staircase, passing Yuffie who was currently gasping for air in-between guffaws on the floor. With a flushed face, Tifa immediately began to clean up the mess of flour on the floor, counters, and on her arms. She frowned at Yuffie as the girl did her best to calm herself, gulping air she shakily pulled herself up from the floorboards.

"That… was… amazing." She eventually wheezed, sprawling her arms over the counter.

"All right, Yuffie, that's enough," Tifa said with her stern, maternal voice, "Come here and help me by watching the food, while I clean this."

Yuffie agreed, recounting the event several times from her point of view as if Tifa hadn't actually been there, bringing on a fresh bout of laughter, which might have ended badly if Tifa hadn't saved the tipping pan of hot grease.

The young Wutai woman teased Tifa mercilessly as she flipped pancakes. Then suddenly, Yuffie's laughter ceased. Tifa heard the other girl's sharp intake of breath and turned in curiosity, nearly dropping her dish towel. They both watched as Vincent came down the stairs, without his bandana, without his mantle, without his boots, or his socks, or his shirt… glistening in some areas from the shower. His wet hair hung around his face, pasting itself onto his pale skin and routinely sending small trails of water down his bare, broad chest. Tifa was trying her utter hardest not to think of indecencies at the moment, but in this situation, it was nearly impossible to look at Vincent Valentine and not. Never, had she seen him in such a way, never even imagined it, and despite his obvious good looks, had never even begun to think of doing so.

"I placed my things in your washer… if you don't mind." He fixed his dark eyes on Tifa, but that wasn't what she was watching. His lips had her transfixed, and not just because they were very, quite well formed, but because she rarely saw them – and watching them move right now, was making her feel not like herself.

She found herself nodding with a blush, before swiftly turning herself away and reaching for the fridge, half tempted to reach over and close Yuffie's dropped jaw. The poor girl was rooted to the spot, eyes wide, mouth open, and increasingly turning a fine shade of pink. Vincent wasn't incredibly muscular, at least not with sculpted muscles or anything, but the shape was evident beneath his skin. His shoulders were broad and his hips were narrow, laddered with tight abdominal muscles and striped with a faint line of black hair starting at his belly button and disappearing beneath his pants.

Without the cowl and bandana, among other things, the man that stood before them almost seemed like a different person. This man didn't scare away women, this man could have them flocking, begging for his touch, and any which way he chose. This man was currently walking towards Tifa intently, his hair falling sexily into his intense eyes, and if she wasn't already mentally cursing her hormones, she would have sworn he had one corner of his mouth raised with a small smile.

Tifa couldn't help herself and let her eyes roam over his body, gulping, and suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

"_Oh. Dear. God."_

_

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_

**AN: Phew! Finally! I thought I'd never get this chapter done. I honestly had no real direction when I wrote this; it all just came out and developed as I went along. I did want to get back to Tifa though, at least get back into her head about her own inner demons, and I hope that the scene in front of the mirror helped show some of those emotions that she has locked away. **

**This definitely isn't the Vincent/Tifa scene I was hinting at before, that won't be for several more chapters, but I felt that the situation between these two just needed another little nudge. ;) **

**The chapters should be coming a lot faster now, since most of them are written already and just need some decent segues. So, the end is near everyone! Thanks for staying with me. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

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Chapter 12

If there was ever a moment that she wished for someone to awkwardly destroy the moment, it was now. Tifa flicked her eyes towards Yuffie who still hadn't moved, didn't even turn around when Vincent passed her, silently pleading for the girl to break something. She strained her ears, trying to hear Fenrir's roar, or the sound of a customer coming in. She unintentionally took a step backwards as Vincent drew near, doing her best to keep her eyes above his neck. She could smell her shampoo on him and feel the wet, heat that radiated from his skin as he stopped in front of her. She heard her heart beating furiously in her ears as he raised a hand towards her face, cupping her cheek with a warm hand, feeling his thumb brush over the tip of her nose, her brow, and then the back of his knuckles over her cheek.

"Flour on you."

Tifa blinked and brought her hand up to her face, her feelings of panic retreating and subsiding like the tide. She looked away as she used her towel to wipe her face and looked back to see him nod with approval. He held her eyes longer than he needed to before walking back up the stairs, like a moving pillar of masculinity. She couldn't look away from the lean muscles that visibly worked and rippled beneath his alabaster skin. Once her eyes caught sight of his scars, however, she was transfixed.

She let out her breath with a small puff, pressing her hand over her speeding heart. Despite the gropes and lascivious leers she endured day-in and day-out from her male customers, she had never come so close to such… potent… maleness. She had never even seen Cloud without a shirt, despite living with him for years. Tifa shook her head, trying to dispel the affect he had on her, and when she looked over at Yuffie, it seemed that the small-time thief was still in a daze.

"I saw that." A large, brown, stern face suddenly appeared next to her.

Tifa jumped again, wondering what the hell was happening to her – continuously being caught off guard. She hadn't even heard Barret come in! _ I really ought to put a bell on that door…_

She composed herself and glared at him a little, while she moved to remove the now ruined pancakes from the pan. "Saw what?"

"You know what, missy. I saw you going all ga-ga over some half-naked pretty boy. What the fuck Teef, what the hell ya doin' with some strange guy, HUH?! WHERE'S SPIKE?! I OUGHTA…" His voice grew louder and angrier as his control slipped, his arms now thrown above his head as he shook.

"Vincent… that was… Vincent…" Yuffie's meek voice managed to squeak out before Barret completed his thought, turning her head slowly, towards them as if she had seen a ghost. Her face had finally reached a cherry-like hue and her wide eyes were glossy.

Barret snuffed, slowly lowering his heavy arms to cross them over his barrel like chest. "Vincent, huh? He had better be severely hurting right now, on the brink of death, or covered with goddamn Geostigma, if he's parading around here naked!" He growled sullenly.

Tifa sighed and refused to answer him, instead grabbing plates and serving them a rather late breakfast. "What are you doing here, Barret?"

He looked at her with a stricken face, "I can't come over and check up on ya or nothin'? I was jus' worried, Teef. You haven't called in a while and Spikey said you were sick."

She stilled, "Cloud?" She couldn't help the warmth that burned her face, remembering that he had _seen_ her.

"Yeah, called las' night and that no-good, sonnuva… picked up… said something 'bout you passin' out and workin' too hard…" He pounded his artificial fist on her bar, before grabbing his fork and pointing it at her, "Don't go thinking that you need to work so much, ya hear? I've got that oil field now and you don't need to go working yourself to death just cuz you got free time. I should just let those two move back here, if ya ain't got nothin' better ta do. Probably keep those damn emo _boys_ away from ya too. Do nothin' but think with their dicks, that's what they do."

"I resent that." Vincent's cold voice called from the stairwell, now wearing a gray shirt he had more than likely found in the laundry room. Tifa earnestly hoped that Cloud wouldn't walk in and see him wearing his clothing. Yuffie froze again with a small squeak.

"YOU! What the HELL were ya doin', traipsin' about in front of my girl wearing nothing but what Gaia gave you, HUH?!"

Barret's shouting had eventually caused the nearly healed Lace to timidly poke her head out from behind the wall. Tifa caught sight of her when she dropped her head into a hand and shook her head. "Oh, you're up."

Lace backed away slightly until only her eye and hair peeked out from behind the wall.

Tifa wondered what sort of sight they all made to her: a ninja, a vampire, a large, angry man, and a burly barmaid. She mused that she'd be just as timid in her place. "Don't worry; he's really as gentle as a moogle… just not as cute." Tifa smiled encouragingly at the other woman.

With hesitancy, she eventually stepped out into the room and immediately went to the emerging-from-catatonia-Yuffie's side. "Barret, this is Lace. She helped find the cure for Geostigma."

Barret's enraged, snarling face suddenly composed itself, "Say what?"

While the situation was explained, surviving bursts of exclamation from Barret, they all ate around the bar, sharing their morning with an increasing feeling of ease. Yuffie couldn't look at Vincent anymore, however, without blooming like a rose and Tifa did her best to physically stay away from him, taking care of his clothing until it was clean enough to wear again. She noted the tears at the bottom of his cloak with a wrinkled nose, wondering if he actually liked it that way. While she folded it, she decided that she knew what to get him for Prior Day. It was a holiday that she knew that even he would appreciate.

'_Perhaps I'll have everyone over again. That'll be really nice. I'm sure Cloud would enjoy that…' _Tifa bit her lip and recalled the way he had whispered against her skin, not to leave him – and blushed furiously again, knowing that he had seen her nude. She wondered what he meant though... After all, he was the one who kept leaving her. She wondered if he had caught onto her resolution to let go of her love for him.

But why… why was he acting this way? He clearly wasn't looking for any type of relationship… at least not with her, so why was he so concerned about her leaving? Cloud was perfectly capable of living on his own; after all, he was living at the church for a while by himself. He didn't need her or her home. Was he just lonely? She let herself be buried with these thoughts as she handed Vincent his clean clothes and joined the others out front.

"_You're not her… Don't leave me…" _ It was enough to keep her occupied, even as they said good-bye to Yuffie, then Vincent, and when the bar began to get crowded. Tifa moved automatically, weaving in between tables, mixing and serving drinks to her patrons, with a distant smile. Lace was a welcome addition in the kitchen, cooking actual meals instead of the usual light foods that Tifa managed by herself.

It had been decided that Barret would take Lace back to Kalm in the morning due to her own insistence, even though it was out of his way, before he went back to Corel where Denzel and Marlene were staying with friends. Tifa offered to let her stay as long as she needed to, but Lace was adamant in returning home.

"_Thank you, Miss Tifa. I'll never forget what you've done for me… but… I need to go home," Lace clutched the hem of her jacket anxiously. "Everyone, probably thinks that I've died," she smiled humorlessly. _

Barret had his own misgivings, but when it was apparent that the girl was going to go no matter what they said, he insisted on giving her a ride. "No use lettin' ya walk all the way. Prolly catch that same shit all over again… or worse."

What was worse than Geostigma, they didn't know, but they left that question go unanswered as business picked up within the bar. It was a horrible thought, though, and Tifa couldn't help herself but wonder an answer; and as the night grew shorter, Tifa had mentally accrued a small list.

Barret kept a close eye on Tifa for the night, nursing his beer with a dark glare and an indiscreet cock of his gun arm to whomever looked at her in a way he didn't approve of. It was almost hard to watch her though… especially when he kept comparing this scene to what it had been five years ago when she was just a girl. Then, she had a fire – an angry fire, burning in her eyes that showed in her every movement. She had been fueled by the hate and anger that had boiled from what ShinRa had done. Now, however, there was a calm acceptance that unnerved him even more than the hate. Her merlot eyes were lackluster and pained; which to him was infinitely worse than before. Five years ago, hell, two years ago, she was _alive_.

The large, brown man actually enforced the former closing hours and wouldn't hear Tifa's objections. She still felt healthy and energetic enough to keep working, but Barret had none of it. She may not have been aware of it, but he saw how haggard and thin she looked from her illness. When Tifa wasn't looking, Barret's eyes softened as he looked her, a sad light entering his eyes as his hard set mouth relaxed into a frown. It nearly hurt to watch her.

After locking the front door, she sat next to Barret with a yawn, and bumped him gently with her shoulder. "Thanks for the help tonight."

He grunted and kept his eyes forward.

"I miss you and Marlene and Denzel." She admitted, very quietly, after a long moment of peaceful silence.

Heavy black brows raised in surprise as he looked down at her from the corner of his eye. "Well, then ya should'a just said so! Come live out in Corel, Teef. There'll be plenty business if ya wanna keep bartendin', and ya can be near the children all year."

Tifa didn't answer.

"Ya hear me?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

"How 'bout it?"

She paused, before she looked down at her hands and shook her head.

Barret heaved a great big sigh and fixed her with a tired expression. Tifa met his gaze and for the first time, she noticed the wrinkles on his aging face, and the few white hairs in his stubble. He was getting older, and it wasn't something that she enjoyed seeing. Barret had become a strong father figure in her life after she had been taken to Midgar, and she had the tendency to think of him as he had been when she was 16 and not as how he appeared to her now. He was ageless and for some reason, it was comforting to think of him as such.

"Teef, I want you to know, that I jus' want the best for ya. I don' like seeing you like this."

She looked at him with a frown, "Like what?"

"Like that, so damn sad. Like you've lost your best friend or somethin'. I worry about you, Teef, and I don' know if I like it that those two dickheads keep hovering around ya."

She resisted the urge to snort, wondering if he knew just how close he was. "Don't worry about them Barret. I'm fine on my own."

"But you're not s'pposed to be. I know you, Tifa. Once ya get all alone, ya lock yourself away in that heart of yours where ya've locked everything else in…. That spike head is supposed to be keeping you company, not chasing around memories."

There was a long pause, before Tifa pushed herself off of the stool and began turning off the bar lights. "Prior Day is coming soon, Barret. I think I'm going to have another get-together here, how 'bout it?"

Big brown eyes looked at her with a great, big sadness in them. Tifa was perhaps the most stubborn person he knew, and it frustrated him to no end that she wouldn't allow anyone to protect and take care of her. At least, most everyone. There was still one person who she let protect her. Barret thought of that person with a growl, wishing that he was there right now so he could tell him just how much he was fucking up.

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**AN: This was a bit short... for good reason... I'm not proud of this chapter and it seemed like a better decision to cut off the chapter here rather than lumping it with the next chapter... which will be added _very_ shortly... in 5....4....3....2....**


	13. Chapter 13

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Chapter 13

Over the following month, things were the usual in the Seventh Heaven, except for the extra preparations for Prior Day – a widely celebrated holiday on their side of the world. It was a day to trade gifts and spend time with loved ones. The tradition had supposedly started many, many years ago as a way to show solidarity within the community and within the family, by giving useful gifts to others to help them survive the winter because in that time, they didn't have the medicines or materials they had now. Over the years though, the presents became less useful, more for pleasure, and were typically wrapped in pretty paper and ribbon.

It was a great holiday and Tifa was glad for it because it was one of the few days of the year that the Seventh Heaven was packed with her family and not simply customers. It was a day when everything was all right with the world and there wasn't Geostigma, homicidal science experiments, deranged scientists, or monsters to be taken care of. It was a day just for her and her family and happiness. As the young proprietor looked around the room, at all the decorations and people that filled it, she felt her heart swell and tears of joy well in her eyes.

Cid and Shera shared the loveseat by the fireplace with grins on their faces as they watched how the children tore into their presents. Cid had his arm thrown across the back of the seat with an ankle propped on his knee while Shera sat demurely with a cup of tea, watching the pilot every now and then out of the corner of her eye. Red XIII lay at their feet, flicking his tail contentedly to and fro, being mindful of the flames at the end and the decorations.

Reeves had stopped by earlier with Cait Sith in tow, but could only stay for a little bit, giving an update on the flower research progress and dropping off presents for everyone. It turned out that they were able to use the oil, after pressing the flowers, in a balm that was showing signs of effectiveness on the tests they ran on volunteers. It wasn't nearly as potent as the water had been, but with this new balm, the Geostigma's symptoms abated.

Perhaps they may have been able to use the flowers to a greater extent, but from what had happened with mako they had learned the value of conservation. Reeves explained that they were trying to use the flowers sparingly, according to a certain barmaid's wishes, also especially considering that there was only a small patch of flowers to begin with. Tifa appreciated this greatly and hugged the man in the suit tightly. The others laughed uproariously as they witnessed his expression when Tifa squeezed him and heard him wheeze when he was able to get air back into his lungs.

Yuffie sat on the floor, like the kids, in front of Barret who sat in his chair, and was also tearing apart the wrapping paper when she wasn't throwing around people's gifts. For Cloud and Tifa, she merely kept theirs in a growing pile; Vincent's, however, she unwrapped herself and would throw at him when she was done showing everyone. Despite the crudeness of it, she was correct in thinking that Vincent wouldn't have done it, so it certainly saved some of the awkwardness.

Tifa, who had perched herself on the couch's arm, caught Vincent's eye and he held hers before closing them from his corner, where he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, brooding by all appearances. She smiled and laughed inwardly, knowing that the tall man conveyed his emotions in the tiniest ways and she had been able to translate his motions as approval. Her smile slowly fell, though not unhappily, as she considered him thoughtfully, her thoughts turned inwardly, trying to discover what sort of feelings she held for him.

He certainly affected her in ways that were new to her, but… not in the way that Cloud had. Her love for Cloud had developed from a childhood crush, an image of the cute boy she thought she knew. Though they weren't close, she thought about him constantly when he went away, and it was then, that she supposed, that she realized how strongly she felt towards him.

It had amazed and puzzled her when she saw him around her friends, how he would hang around, but be so detached from them. There was a depth and maturity to him, even at that age, that had drawn her and she would have gone towards it, if she hadn't had been so aware of her father's anger towards the boy who had tried to save her life.

Cloud was everything a man should be, to Tifa. He was strong, didn't ignore his emotions, and he really truly thought about things without discounting the possibilities. He loved her children in his gentle, serious way, and supported and protected them all, above and beyond what was normal for a regular family. He was not their real father nor was he her husband, but the way he accepted those responsibilities made Tifa feel alive inside. Her heart raged with emotion when she thought of him, especially when she remembered kissing him, like an inferno that had enveloped her with warm, soothing flames that would oddly enough calm her. When he was there, she felt safe, steady, and not at all searching for anything, content with the embrace of his mere presence. When he had returned to her in Midgar, she thought she would never stop smiling. He was alive and he was beautiful.

But Vincent… he wasn't evoking much of anything but a warm blush to her cheeks and a case of nervousness, almost like a school girl with a crush on her teacher. Vincent was a hauntingly handsome man with a dark sexiness that she had to admit was affecting her in other ways as well, but when she looked at him… she didn't have that comfortable feeling of content. This was a man that could not rest, despite how calm his outward appearance was, and because of that feeling, her own nerves couldn't rest when he was around.

With a deep breath, she stood to busy herself before she became too distracted and went to get drinks. She smiled to herself as she heard Yuffie exclaim loudly that Tifa had gotten Vincent a new cape, just like his old one, just not tattered. The door opening was what caught her attention though, as a very familiar head of blonde spikes poked through and a pair of startling blue eyes widened sheepishly once they caught sight of her at the bar.

She couldn't fight that feeling of wholeness and warmth when she saw him – and for today, that didn't matter.

"Cloud," Tifa greeted with a soft, but wary smile.

"He-ey… Teef," He answered, still standing behind the door with his head poking through.

"Are you going to come in or what?"

"Uuh…" He looked behind him. Tifa furrowed her brow, wondering what in the world was keeping him.

"CLOOUUD!" Came two simultaneous voices as two children came zooming from the backroom and yanked open the door he stood behind. They jumped up and down in their excitement of seeing him, "You're late!" "What did you get us?!" "Where's your bike at?"

Tifa almost laughed at his perplexed and hapless expression as the children accosted him, and eventually couldn't help herself as they tugged him farther into the room. Cloud's attention was completely captured by the sounds of her laughing, and with a hopeful expression, he smiled back, before bending to whisper in their ears.

Marlene and Denzel agreed with devilish grins before turning around and grabbing Tifa's hands and began to pull her into the backroom. "C'mon Tifa! You haven't even started opening yours yet!" "Yeah! You have to open up mine!" "Ours, Marlene!" "Fine, fine, ours, but I made most of it." "I wrapped it!"

What was she to do but follow them? It was her turn to turn a hapless expression towards Cloud as they dragged her away, leaving the blonde man still standing in the middle of the room.

"Cloud needs your help... and you too." Marlene ordered her father with her hands on her hips as well as the be-goggled man with the cigarettes behind both his ears once they had gotten Tifa into the room, while Denzel and Yuffie dumped her pile of presents into her lap. Both men wondered if perhaps Tifa was rubbing off a bit too much on the young girl who still continued to wear her hair with a pink ribbon as they headed towards Cloud. Ever since Tifa had absently recreated Aeris's ponytail when brushing Marlene's hair, the girl hadn't changed it since.

Tifa knew something was up, but really couldn't imagine what would require all three, very strong men. She tried to peak a few times down the hall but Marlene would tut and insist she try on the necklace that she and Denzel had made. She was amazed at what they had done, she almost wondered if Barret had helped at all other than procuring the materials, but she caught herself underestimating those two again. She couldn't stop thinking of them as children, even though they were growing up quite fast and quite well. Marlene had already begun to equalize the height difference that had been between her and Denzel a couple of years ago.

The two had given her a thin, silver, chain necklace, embedded with three tiny blue gems which shined brightly in the sunlight streaming through the windows.

"Oh Marlene… Denzel…" Tifa breathed as she held up the necklace, not taking her eyes off of it, "You made this?! It's beautiful…." She broke her awe and pulled them both into her arms tightly, hugging them like they were the most important things on the Planet.

Marlene giggled and pulled away just enough so that she could reach up and point to each individual stone. "This one is me, Cloud is in the middle, and that's Denzel."

Denzel then pointed at the clasp, "And that's you."

Tifa blinked and looked at the clasp with raised eyebrows, "Me?"

"Yep! 'Cuz you hold us all together!" He grinned while Marlene bobbed her head in agreement. Shera gasped and brought a hand up to her mouth, doing nothing to hide the touched smile and the sparkling eyes, while Red XIII seemed to grin, nodding his own head sagely. For once, Yuffie didn't say anything, but she beamed at the children and cast her own pretty smile towards her friend. Vincent, remained silent, steadfastly supporting the wall with crossed arms.

Tifa didn't think she had ever heard anything more beautiful. She gathered them up once again in her arms and hugged them fiercely. She was beyond touched; she was elated and filled with such love for her children that could have done back flips if the room had allowed it.

"Thank you very much, I love it." She murmured into their hair, giving them both a kiss on the head as they hugged her tightly in return. "You two make me soooo happy!" She shook them a little with mock brusqueness.

"Tifa… does this mean you won't be sad anymore….?" Marlene asked quietly, lifting her head up to look at the only mother she really knew with somber eyes. Tifa froze, her heart suddenly breaking at Marlene's words.

"I…" She considered lying but she knew that they were both incredibly perceptive children and were no longer naïve and as innocent as she would like them to be. "How can I be sad with you two around, huh?" Tifa dodged, hugging Marlene tighter and laying her check on top of her head. "Here, will you put it on for me?" Tifa turned towards Denzel and swept her hair up for him to attach the clasp. "But how in the world did you two learn how to make something like this?"

Marlene giggled and pulled away, "Shera taught me."

"Us." Denzel corrected. She stuck her tongue out at him with a small glare.

"Tifa…" A deep, timid voice came from behind her. Tifa looked up at Cloud, still fingering her gift around her neck as it began to warm with her body heat. "Would you mind coming out here again?" He held out his hand.

She looked at it for a moment before nodding and hesitantly placing her hand in his, very conscious of the way his much larger hand enveloped hers gently, his hand warm and calloused and looking rather red at the moment. When he pulled her to her feet, she had to swallow the rising surge of affection, stubbornly refusing to let him gain back her love, but after a moment, she let that go. Today… she wasn't going to worry about getting over Cloud Strife. Today, she was allowed to feel whatever she wanted.

With a smile he led her back towards the bar where Barrett and Cid were leaning against the bar, huffing and puffing and rubbing their backs. What caught her attention though was the large, red bow, set atop of a beautiful, mahogany piano, almost just like the one she had as a girl. The wood gleamed with a reddish finish, and the keys shone brightly in gorgeous black and white contrast. Tifa was glad for Cloud's hand for she nearly fell to her knees. She looked at him with joy and threw her arms around him, "Oh Cloud! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Cloud laughed gently as he returned her hug, ignoring the leers from the older men and the excited ruckus behind them as the others filtered into the room. Yuffie and the children cheered and teased Cloud, who reluctantly let Tifa practically skip to the piano. Her excitement was evident as she paused for a moment before she pressed a key. The piano was in perfect tune and its sound quality was beautiful. Without needing to be asked, Tifa picked a tune and played and played until she noticed Marlene and Denzel in that fidgety, slightly grumpy state that meant they were hungry.

With Shera's and even Yuffie's help, Tifa prepared a feast. There was plenty of meat, cooked in a variety of ways, vegetables, sauces, puddings, bread, casseroles, salads, and dressings. Naturally, Tifa had prepared some of it the day before, but for the large part everything had been made that day. The others pushed the tables and chairs together to form a large, long banquet set up as Cid and Barrett kept a steady supply of alcohol coming. A few times, there were people dropping in with homemade pies and gifts and wishes for a good holiday. They sometimes stayed for a little bit, enjoying the happy atmosphere of the Seventh Heaven, and brightening their souls.

Tifa kept going back to the piano sporadically, hitting a note or two or playing a whole song. She continued to thank Cloud effusively throughout the evening, sometimes pressing him as to where he got it or saying that he really shouldn't have gone through all the trouble. She even felt bad for simply getting him new riding goggles, gloves, and a sweater.

Before he left, Vincent stood suddenly and approached Tifa deliberately, drawing nearly everyone's attention with his movements. He didn't move much to the point that people noticed, so when he did, he drew their curiosity. He stopped behind her from where she sat with Cloud, chatting amicably like old times, about chocobos of all things, and held out a small box.

In mid-sentence, mouth half-formed in a smile, she looked up at him in surprise and took the box. When she opened it, everyone saw the color drain from her face, before turning pink, and her mouth opening with a silent exclamation. When Cloud looked over and caught sight of the box's contents, his body went rigid and his face took on a somewhat deadly expression, his mako infused eyes flaring. His fists tightened and his mouth pressed into a firm, thin line, the muscles in his jaw working as he clenched tightly.

"I noticed that you had lost your other one." He said simply, then nodding to the rest of the room in farewell, he departed. Cloud's eyes flicked to her hands, searching for the ring that he had given her, but it was as Vincent said. Tifa wasn't wearing it.

Tifa could feel the change in Cloud and didn't have the courage to look at him. In the box was a silver ring, thin and beautiful, with engravings of vines and roses. When she held it up so the others could see, they collectively inhaled sharply and their eyes widened. It would have been comical to Tifa if it didn't mean complicating everything so much.

Finally, she looked over at Cloud guiltily. He wasn't looking at her, but at the ring with such a fury that it almost scared her. When she tentatively reached to touch his hand on the cushion next to her, he withdrew it sharply, looking away and settling farther away into the couch. "I'm sorry… I did lose it… in the church."

He looked at her in a way he never had before… with anger. "You said that you'd remember… with me." He accused her lowly, before standing and walking away, retiring to his room upstairs.

He left the others to return to their original conversations, but there was a hushed, cautious atmosphere that wasn't there before, but for the sake of Tifa, they went on as if it hadn't happened.

Tifa continued to stare at the ring, unsure of what to do. She nearly felt breathless from the fast exchange of emotion. It wouldn't go on her hand; no, she knew that much. Instead, mechanically and indiscreetly watched by the others, she unclasped her new necklace and thread it through the ring, before she looked up and smiled just as mechanically and asked who wanted another drink.

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**AN: I know... the name of the holiday is kinda hokey, but I really didn't want to call it Christmas, mostly because their world is a different world than ours and something just tells me that they don't have a Christmas. :P Anyway, this was an awkward chapter to fit in the time line that I had going, but once I wrote it, I really wanted to keep it and it sets up later scenes nicely... I think, heh. So, I apologize for the little time jump. **

**In the next chapter, you'll meet _that_ girl again, lol. Look for it soon. ;)**

**Thank you so much to all those who have been reviewing and favoriting me and "How Long Will It Take"! It makes me happy. ^_____^  
**


	14. Chapter 14

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Chapter 14

For the next couple of weeks, Cloud avoided her, and Tifa knew exactly why this time. There was something relieving knowing the reason for his absence, she had to admit, but it didn't diminish the hurt any less. Guilt consumed her and she did her best to make it up to her friend; cooking his favorite meals, cleaning his room and his desk when he was gone, paying apt attention to his delivery requests, and even apologizing when he was around. Every time, however, he would pause with his back towards her, before going on his way.

For the first week, Tifa was at Aeris's church in the mornings on her hands and knees scouring the floor and flower patch for the wolf ring, but nothing turned up. There was no glint, no path, no help from Aeris… nothing. The ring was gone.

By the second week, she learned from Yuffie that Cloud was staying in his Costa Del Sol villa mostly because of the skyrocketing business and the growing markets on that continent. This made Tifa wonder if perhaps this was the beginning of the end of his stay with her, and if not the beginning, then at least the most solid sign of his moving on… away from her.

Tifa fought with her emotions, first battling with the immense guilt for forgetting her promise to him – to _them_, then rising up in self-righteousness and reasoning that Cloud was overreacting and that she didn't need a ring to remember them, and for that matter, Vincent needn't have made a show of gifting her with a _ring!_ Indifference bathed her next, responding to her failing efforts to get over Cloud and the need for professionalism behind the bar. All of this was enough to leave her exhausted.

On her day off, Sunday, Tifa looked around her and sighed, dropping her head onto her arms resting on the bar top. Nothing was getting resolved and she kept feeling that swollen ache to cry behind her eyes. She sighed… perhaps she would go out and train today; something heavy and demanding that would leave her passed out when she came home.

At that thought though, she sensed the familiar, whispering swish of a crimson cloak. She inwardly groaned and had the sudden urge to get out of there. She had to be alone. She couldn't train now, without inviting him out of politeness. Training with Vincent would certainly be beneficial, but at this moment… she just wanted to be alone.

_Shopping. I'll say I'm going shopping._

She raised her head and looked up him with a smile that took effort, expecting the pale man to be sitting at his usual spot at the bar. What surprised her most though, was that he was at the far wall near the stairs, staring at the pictures hanging there.

"Vincent, you've just caught me…" She called over blithely, before adding more sedately, "I was going to go shopping."

He tilted his head back just so that he could look at her out of the corner of his eye. She had the sneaking suspicion that he knew she was lying. He said nothing, however, just nodded and turned back towards the photographs.

Tifa bit her lip and paused, wondering if he was going to respond at all, before slowly moving past him up the stairs to retrieve her wallet, gloves, and pull a comb through her hair. When she came down, he was perched on a table, with his elbows hanging over his knees, staring up at her.

"Well, umm… sorry I can't stay or anything… but I should go." She couldn't help but physically wince when he showed no signs of standing. Vincent took the hint eventually that she was serious though, when she had reached the door, striding up behind her and following her into the sunshine.

"Are… you coming too?" She looked up at him through her thick lashes, and hid her disappointment when he nodded once. Tifa wasn't really upset with him, but his simply being there felt like it was just confusing everything even more. She didn't want to think about him, or Cloud, or sex, or love, or broken promises, or anything! She… just needed to… what did she need to do?

The lithe fighter lost herself once again in thought as they walked towards the market, creasing her brow, and contemplating why she even found it necessary to do anything! She gave no thought to what she'd actually buy when she got there, in fact, she had nearly forgotten that Vincent was walking a pace behind her. Once they had gotten to the market, Tifa instantly regretted it. It was crowded and noisy and the humidity in the air was giving her a headache. She raised her head and looked around and gasped.

Tifa stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw her. It was the woman from before. The woman who had been brought into her home… and… with Cloud… Vincent's presence suddenly became much more important as she felt his hand come up to rest on her shoulder. It felt like steel. She could feel the warmth of his chest behind her, like a fiery wall that kept her from moving anywhere but forward; towards her.

Even if she had wanted to, she couldn't have moved fast enough not to be seen. The other woman had noticed her too, sweeping her eyes between the pair, and blushing in that same pretty way she had left the Seventh Heaven with. Tifa's fists clenched not of her own volition but the rest of her body fell with slack, and she felt grateful for Vincent's strength of presence. She was rooted to the spot and couldn't move even if she wanted to as the other girl approached her, carrying her bag demurely in front of her, her hair still half up and tied back with a bow: completely doll-like.

"Hello again, I… was hoping I would run into you sometime," The girl kept flicking her eyes from Tifa's face, to Vincent's, and to his hand at her shoulder, and then back again. "I would really appreciate it if I could have a word with you… that is…" She looked back at Vincent, "If that's all right."

It was appropriate that she had addressed him, because he at least had half the mind to respond to her, considering that Tifa was still having difficulty unblocking her air passageways. Vincent nodded and gave Tifa's shoulder a sharp squeeze before dropping and running his hand along down her arm. The other girl didn't miss that.

"I will wait for you at the bar," Vincent told her lowly before striding away, leaving her feeling much more alone and vulnerable. Tifa currently hated herself at the moment, finding it strange that she was being affected so much by a tiny, delicate looking girl, no older than herself, who had probably never even seen a real fight from 10 feet away much less been in one.

She followed her wordlessly to a small, nearby café that served mostly teas, coffee, and crackers. Tifa wondered why crackers and why not something actually substantial like sandwiches or even cakes as she passed the counter. She looked about the small room and wasn't surprised that she didn't recognize a single face, but it managed to disturb her all the more. These people weren't the type to go to a place like Seventh Heaven; these weren't her type of people. They drank their tea or coffee with a raised pinky and nibbled on their crackers as if they were delicacies. Tifa really didn't get it, but she understood how this pretty creature belonged in this world. These were people who were above the plate.

They were silent after the other girl ordered tea for them both and it arrived, until Tifa realized that she had never given her name or received one, so she gave her a small bow and was about to introduce herself when the other woman interrupted, "I know your name." The taller woman looked at her with the taken aback expression of one whose voice had been cut off, and gingerly took a seat. The pretty girl with the bow smiled gently at her, "Everyone does. You're the famous Tifa."

Tifa shook her head and held up a hand, "No, no… I'm not… at least I'd prefer not to be."

"You'd prefer not to be famous or you'd prefer not to be Tifa?" The girl quirked her brow facetiously with a small smile as she poured Tifa a cup of tea.

Tifa tried to laugh lightly, but only managed a small spreading of her lips and accepted the tea graciously. She couldn't help but compare her hands with hers as the small china cup was passed. The girl's hands were thin, soft, and small, like flower petals at first bloom. It seemed proper for her to hold such a delicate cup, but Tifa's own hands were garishly out of place, it seemed to her. Her hands were larger, rougher, and had experienced their own fair share of broken knuckles and fingers. She withdrew them from the table and tucked them below the table to rest on her lap.

"Is he your boyfriend?" The impossibly cute creature of a woman asked, looking up at Tifa over the rim of her cup as she took a sip.

Tifa looked at her in shock, wondering how she dared to think that, when she had been the one with him that night! She thought this for a brief moment before she realized that she was talking about Vincent, and not Cloud. Tifa felt that cold, sullen feel of shame as she began to wring her hands beneath the table.

"No, he's not." She wasn't sure how that made her feel. Tifa really wasn't sure how to describe their relationship. The attraction was there between them, she knew, but that line hadn't been crossed yet, and Vincent was probably as near to that as asking her for an actual date. "We're not together."

"Oh." The porcelain woman's face was as neutral and unreadable as the cup she held.

They didn't say anything else for a little while as they each succumbed to their own thoughts, but Tifa tried to keep her eyes trained anywhere but at her companion. She found that it hurt to see her… to put a face to that voice she heard…

The doll-like woman smiled softly to herself as she gently rubbed the design painted on the porcelain cup, looking down through it as if seeing an entirely different scene. Tifa felt uncomfortable suddenly, at least more so than she already was.

"He said your name," She all but whispered, "Tifa. He called me by your name the entire time… but…" Her eyes began to water, filling her large brown eyes with a glimmering naked pain of acceptance. "I didn't care. I was… not myself… and I didn't care." The woman looked back up at her with those eyes and it looked like her lips were having a hard time not succumbing to a sob. "My fiancé died when Meteor fell and I've been alone ever since."

Tifa's heart suddenly ached for her, her face shifting to show her pity, and her own hand coming up to reach across the table to grip the girl's delicate fingers, but the girl had withdrawn it with a small shake of her hand and head.

"You may not want to hear this, but I feel like you should know," She took a deep breath and Tifa mimicked her unconsciously. "That night, I just couldn't take the loneliness and the pain anymore, so I went out to a bar, drank… a lot, and eventually caught sight of Cloud as he came in. He was more beautiful than I imagined… but his eyes were what I first noticed… they were glowing, but… they were very sad.

"He had red wine, I remember, but he barely touched it, merely looking at it and clenching then unclenching his fist." Tifa remembered that night's conversation…. About the color of paint…

The pretty woman looked at her with beseeching eyes, as if she willed Tifa to believe her, "I came onto him… and eventually he responded. It hurt me that he wouldn't at first and so I kept trying and trying, and… oh Tifa," she gave a small hiccup, "I didn't mean to hurt you… I am so sorry."

Tifa's hand had returned to her lap, as she straightened in her chair, numb to her senses except for what she heard. Her head had slightly bowed, so that her hair fell partially over her face, her bangs covering her right eye.

"He kept saying your name… that was the only thing he said to me, the entire time…"

Tifa felt sick.

She stood suddenly and paused with her head still bowed, before she met the other girl's eyes, revealing her own shiny merlot orbs, and smiling tragically, like the heroine she was. The other girl's face was flushed with perhaps embarrassment, Tifa couldn't be sure, but she didn't care.

Yes, she knew that she deserved whatever pain she had coming, after all, she had earned it from the deaths of all those people crushed beneath Sector 7, Aeris, her father, and anyone else who had been hurt because of her. But this… why was she telling her this? Why did she think that it'd be ok?

Tifa shook her head gently, and left without another word, not hearing the rest of the pretty doll's apologies and pleas for her to come back.

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**AN: Yay! We're getting there! The story is back to where I had planned it, and as long as I don't suddenly write more diversions, it'll stay that way. :) **

**So, I hope that you liked this scene... I worried that it might be a little cliched, but it sorta gives reason to why _"that girl_" doesn't have a name (did anyone notice?), heh, at least I like to think so. **

**Next chapter will have the Vincent/Tifa scene that I'm eager to hear your feedback. Some may hate me, some may not, and some may just say "oh well." Either way, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. ^___^  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**Warning: This chapter may be considered dark.**

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Chapter 15

It wasn't until much later that Tifa returned to the Seventh Heaven, still simmering with raging pain. She closed the door behind her, and leaned against it in the dark. Her face glowered at the floorboards beneath her feet, her lips dry, her jaws clenched, and her nose flaring with angry exhalations.

Who. Was. He? Who was he to call her name as he made love to someone else in her home? Who was he to kiss her not long after and pretend he didn't know? Who was he to be jealous and angry over a man who actually paid her attention? Who was he to use other people? Who was he?!

Tifa's red rimmed eyes continued to narrow and lose focus. Not even the severe, physical extremes she pushed herself to could have lessened the anguish of learning that as the man she loved, fornicated with some strange, perfect woman, he cried her own name, in her own home, perhaps knowing that she would know. What was he trying to prove? That he loved her?! It was certainly a sick way to display it.

The lines of blood that had coagulated on her wounded arms pulled at her skin as she flexed in another wave of indignation. The cuts had already stopped stinging, but re-opened when she tightened her muscles. She had sprinted out of the city once she had left the tea shop, running, and running until she reached the sea, looking towards the west and Costa Del Sol's golden beaches.

She had annihilated anything that came in her path. Behemoths, Devil Riders, Grosspanzers, Fangs, and Prowlers, were simply slaughtered when they had the misfortune of not only choosing to attack her but being caught by her as well. Tifa _sought_ the monsters. She _sought_ the mindless rage she could lose herself to as her fists flew, the exhilaration that came with knowing that at any time she could be mortally wounded – and not caring.

She was done chasing him. She was done caring for him. She was done pretending that his caring actions meant anything at all. She was done… done…

Tifa raised her hardened eyes up to the man standing with his back to her, facing the pictures on the wall by the stairs. She wondered how long he had stood there, somewhat surprised, somewhat touched that he had stayed so long waiting for her. His presence, settled her, but left her feeling hollow.

She watched him as he studied the pictures on the wall, pausing on a certain few, as if they held more significance to him. It surprised her that he was studying these still, considering how much time he spent in her bar, but then again, it was Vincent. When would he ever stop surprising her?

Tifa felt slightly bad for wishing that he would leave, quite honestly. She felt her exhaustion begin to consume her and wished for nothing but to pull her quilt up to her chin and bury her head in her pillows; maybe after she treated her wounds. Perhaps he would get the hint if she started to head to bed? She smirked viciously as a dark thought entered her head – _Perhaps he'll come with me, and I can scream out Cloud's name._ She hated herself just a bit more for thinking that, knowing that she would never, ever use Vincent, or anyone, in such a way.

She took a deep breath and tried to extinguish her anger, allowing the physical fatigue to settle in. Soundlessly, she crossed the bar and stood next to him with her arms behind her back. "Thank you for waiting, Vincent… I'm, sorry that I didn't come back right away."

He didn't respond, but continued to stare at the photo of Tifa, standing next to the sitting Cloud at the Golden Saucer, posing on the stairs of the Ghost Hotel. She sighed and looked at the clock, which told her that the sun would be rising in about four hours.

The faux yawn she began ended as a large, real, jaw-popping yawn as she stretched her arms behind her and stretched up onto her toes, rolling her head to crack her neck and looking back at the clock. With a glance over at Vincent, she started to make her way to the stairwell, noticing that he hadn't moved. She couldn't exactly kick him out… that would be rude, but… perhaps he needed some help reliving their memories?

"Hey, um… Do you want to come up?" She blurted after a moment's hesitation, pausing at the bottom step and looking over her shoulder. She held her breath and bit her tongue, half wanting him to ignore her sudden invitation and half wanting to kick herself for her brashness. She didn't miss the flicker of surprise that momentarily crossed his face. "I – I mean, I have more photos in my room… if you want to see them."

Vincent held her eyes as he nodded and followed her up the stairs silently, seemingly oblivious to the fresh blood that dripped down her arm. Tifa had turned around and made an exasperated expression at her expense, rolling her eyes upward and clenching her teeth, silently mouthing curses. Her hand paused on her doorknob as she consciously reminded herself how this would be the first time she and Vincent would be alone in her bedroom, and the first time she had been alone with anyone but Cloud. She was exhilarated in a twisted way but couldn't help the heavy feeling of dread creeping into her gut.

She opened the door and let him pass by into the room with a bowed head, glancing up to him through her lashes, waiting until he stopped in the middle of her room before closing the door behind her. She watched as he looked around, only skimming over the photos on her gray walls, paying more attention to the items that made the room her own. His crimson eyes rested on her pillow, her curtains, her clothes, and her leather gloves.

"I still haven't painted the walls yet," Tifa said softly, almost apologetically, walking passed to perch on her bed.

"Where is your knight, Tifa?" Vincent wasted no time and queried bluntly, picking up a picture frame with a photo of herself with Cloud and the kids from her nightstand, apparently studying it.

"My…?" She cocked her head to the side and frowned at him.

"He has not been tracking you lately. Why?" He set down the picture.

"Tracking… do you mean Cloud? He doesn't-"

He cut her off, "Would you prefer the term 'stalking'?"

"Cloud… does, does not stalk me." Tifa defended incredulously.

"He doesn't when you're at the Seventh Heaven, because he knows where you are. It's when you leave that he follows… like a puppy." Vincent very nearly smiled. "He continues to protect you, Tifa, most often when you're not even aware of it. Nothing will change that." He fixed her with an intense look. "Not even me." He sat next to her on the bed, creating a deep indent that tilted her towards him causing her to knock into his shoulder. Tifa righted herself with an embarrassed smile and crossed her arms over her chest.

Tifa wondered where all this came from. Had he been thinking about this for a while? She wanted to ask him what he meant by what he said, but instead she wanted to know something else, "Vincent… how would you know that? Does that mean… that you were 'stalking' me as well?"

This time, Vincent's lips did curl into a small, very slight smile. He said nothing, but he looked away towards the door, almost as if he expected Cloud to barge in at that very moment.

She looked sideways at Vincent, running her eyes along his profile and imagining what he would have looked like when he was with the Turks. She could picture him in a black suit and shorter hair without his bandanna, openly showing his handsome face to the world. She had already seen him once before without his bandanna and could physically remember the warmth that had spread through her body and pooled in certain areas that surprised her. Tifa blushed at that memory, but it didn't take away from her confidence and with bated breath, she began to lean into him.

Screw waiting for Cloud and keeping silly promises. Forget pretty, china dolls and destiny. Vincent was the one here, was the one sitting on her bed, was the one that cared enough to actually be there for her and not be some far off goal that she could never reach, no matter how fast she ran. She flicked her eyes to his, absently licking her lips, and then focusing on his.

Tifa was going to kiss him. She was not questioning why but inwardly knew that he wasn't going to take this step and if he wouldn't then she would. She had to learn how to love someone other than Cloud and this man next to her… was looking like her best hope to do so. Tifa had a momentary twinge of guilt as that thought flew past her, but she quickly justified it with the growing endearment he was to her. His presence, albeit intense, was comforting to her, simply because of its existence. He was there when she needed him to be and she knew that he would be in the times to come. This man, so cloaked in guilt, didn't run from his sins and even though he was so heavily burdened, he didn't let them ruin his life. He was someone Tifa could rely on… could… love?

Vincent turned to look at her and realized how close she was, he stood abruptly and took three paces away, keeping his back to her but watching her through her mirror. Tifa immediately felt ashamed. Perhaps she had been reading too much into his actions? Hadn't he been showing interest in her for all these months?

"Once you do that, you can never return." His gruff voice carried over to her, speaking at her reflection. "You can never take it back."

Tifa looked at his face in the mirror and slowly shook her head with puckered brows. "I know…"

"You couldn't possibly know what you'd get yourself in to. No one can love me. You cannot, you do not." Vincent, ever the master of shadows, turned his face just so that it was hidden from her, regardless of the mirror he faced. Tifa started to understand. Just as she was not allowed to cry, Vincent was not allowed to experience love.

"I could!" Tifa exclaimed, taking a step forward with her hand clasping the ring on her necklace, and an earnest expression. "You can't say that… that no one can."

"You… love a monster… like me?" His voice was surprisingly light, as if it held hope and faith in her words while simultaneously sounding dubious, but his eyes didn't match his tone. They were narrowed in a sharp shrewdness, as if he were seeing something blind to her despite it standing right in front of her face.

Tifa could hear her heart thumping faster in her ears, holding her ground as Vincent stalked nearer, slowly and intently. A sick feeling began to sour her stomach inexplicably, but her body flushed as she felt his hand ghost over her face, running his fingertips so lightly along her temple and jaw. He lowered his head, never lifting his eyes from hers, so close that she could see the black rings surrounding his irises and his pupils dilating to keep her in focus.

"Maybe I _am_ a monster." Vincent replied, his voice as lush as crushed velvet. Suddenly, Tifa was on her back and the large, tall man was above her, malevolently holding down her wrists to the bed. Too shocked to react Tifa could only stare up in disbelief, sluggishly trying to process this unrealistic situation.

_This wasn't Vincent. He wouldn't do this_, her mind kept supplying; ardently refusing to believe he was capable of this position he put them in.

"Maybe you should be afraid of me," He growled, his face lowering within a breath's reach of hers. "Am I so harmless that you'll invite me into your bedroom and not worry what I might do? What Cloud might think?"

Tifa reclaimed her anger. "Why would I care what Cloud might think?"

"Are you saying that you don't?"

"I'm saying that what I do or do not do is of any concern to him."

Vincent's hands tightened on her wrists to the point that it actually did start to hurt her. She winced nearly imperceptibly, but with his proximity to her, it wasn't hard to miss.

"Why are you doing this, Vincent?!"

"Do I need a reason?"

Whatever she had opened her mouth to say was lost and forgotten when Vincent's hips came crashing down onto hers. He covered her mouth with his hand after switching so that his gauntlet covered hand held her wrists. Tifa began to struggle, bucking and writhing, trying to wrench her limbs from under him but he was too strong, too heavy, and too large.

"I could destroy you right now. I could tear through your flesh and bone," Vincent's growl was inhuman as he stared into Tifa's eyes, mocking her. "But that's not the worst I could do-"

"You wouldn't." Tifa whispered angrily against his hand, narrowing her fiery red eyes.

"I could ruin you," he continued, his breath fanning her face, making the situation all the more real to her. "In so many ways."

The slowness of his last threat made her heart beat icily. A wash of cold realization covered her as she heard the promise in his words, and could clearly see the intent in his yellowing eyes.

In that moment, however, as the understanding reached her own eyes and before she could panic and fight in renewed desperation, Vincent released her.

His eyes suddenly softened and a corner of his lips lifted briefly as he rolled off of her, getting to his feet and crossing the room, setting as much distance between them as he could in her room.

Tifa exhaled the large breath she had drawn to scream, taking more deep, calming breaths to sooth her adrenaline soaked heart. She stared up at the ceiling with wide, nonplussed eyes, slowly bringing her hands to her chest, to rub her aching wrists; her muscles were tingling. Her head turned towards him, taking in his seemingly normal appearance and conveyed her message to him with questioning eyes, tightening her brow in upward wariness, letting him know that her trust in him had been broken. "Why… Vincent…?"

"To show you that your knight won't always come when you're in danger. And that makes you afraid."

_"Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to at least experience that once."_

She gingerly swung her legs off of the bed and stared at him, clearly stung by his words. The fighter knew however, that he was right. It was something that she had realized long before when her girlish ideals had evaporated. She had clung to Cloud's promise because it was the only innocent, pure wish she had left. Even though she clung to and believed in it, she inwardly knew that such fairy tale rescues only happened in fairy tales.

Had she been afraid? She touched her hand to her chest again, feeling her heart thump wildly against her fingertips. Yes, she had been…but she hadn't been afraid for herself. She stood and walked to him cautiously, not letting him look away from her pained eyes.

"And to make you realize that you still want him. If you wanted me, Tifa, if you really didn't care what Cloud thought, you wouldn't have been afraid."

Tifa punched him. Hard. A strong, right hook, followed by a straight punch to his solar plexus.

"I don't care what you tried to teach me, don't you EVER do that again," Tifa spat viciously, shaking with rage and yes, even with the fear he had been trying to show her.

The man in red wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand and stood back up from the ground he had been knocked to. "I am sorry, Tifa. But I felt it best to show you, to make you realize how you still feel for him… there is nothing that I can do to change that." He looked away, his voice thick. "I do want you Tifa, but not in a pure way. I will be forever tainted by my sins and forever caught in the dark of man and beast."

Vincent turned back to her, catching her gaze with an intense, arduous heat. He seemed to be inwardly fighting something, and whichever side won made his eyes shine with some strong emotion. "I want you Tifa…" He exhaled deeply and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to him for a kiss so passionate she felt the heat in her toes. Her eyes automatically closed as her mouth moved with his, allowing him entrance but denied her own. Vincent's kiss was completely dominating her, as if it wasn't supposed to be for their mutual enjoyment but simply taking for his own pleasure.

It was as if Vincent knew that this was his first and only kiss with Tifa. That she belonged with another, one who had loved her so purely for so long that it was practically sinful to even be taking this from her. And even though she reacted so beautifully, she did not touch him with her hands. She did not embrace him or lay her hand upon his chest or lovingly run it through his hair. This was a woman misguided and confused. This was a woman who was trying her best to not feel the pain and to take love where she could.

As soon as Vincent ended the kiss he pulled her roughly against his heaving chest, embracing her tightly, desperately, and almost angrily. "I want you Tifa…but I don't think that I can love you."

This was a woman whose shattered heart was being ground into dust.

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**AN: Well.... that's it. I know there's potentially going to be some rather mad people out there, but I hoped you enjoyed it nevertheless. Please tell me what you think. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

_"Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to at least experience that once."_

Where was he now? Where was her hero? Where was the man who had saved her countless times in the past with his devotion and strength? Where was the boy who had followed her to the mountain when no one else would? Where was the young man that had promised her under that starry sky that he would be her hero? Where was he?

She heard the city wake as the sunlight began to filter in through the windows, scrawling shadows along the walls and along her skin. There were knocks on her front door throughout the day; a few shouts here and there, and the phone rang several times.

"_Hi, you've reached Strife Delivery Service. We can't answer the phone right now, but if you leave a detailed message and a way to get back to you, we'll return your call as soon we can- BEEP."_

They were nearly all orders for Cloud, but twice, no message was left. Her voice sounded different on the answering machine. Perhaps she had been smiling when she recorded it?

Tifa lay on her bed with her hands folded beneath her breasts, rising and falling with every steady breath. Her thoughts focused on her inhale, drawing in the somewhat humid, stale, warm air. It was going to rain again tonight. She held the breath, sometimes until she grew light-headed, and exhaled until she was red in the face.

Her cell phone vibrated until it fell from her nightstand and the battery broke off, scattering across the floor.

But Tifa continued to breathe, eyes glued on the ceiling, letting her mind wander wherever it pleased. She thought of crimson eyes and apologetic kisses. She thought of reassuring warmth and _his_ familiar scent. She thought of wishes and promises and the death bellows of the various things she killed. All she could do, however, was stay still, limp, and breathe.

She wondered what everyone was doing. She wondered if they were all right. Was Yuffie doing well in Wutai? Had Cid finally realized that he could breathe without cigarettes? What was the weather like at Cosmo Canyon? Was Cloud wearing the goggles she got him? Was he eating all right? Was Barrett making sure the kids did their homework and went to bed early? How was the research on the flowers coming? Where did Vincent go after he left? Had Reno broken any more of Rude's sunglasses? How was Johnny's little shop?

Merlot eyes blinked; once… twice… and slid from the ceiling to the broken phone…

* * *

Barret grumbled under his breath as he caught sight of the Seventh Heaven farther down the street, and bowed his head against the pouring rain. She was really going to have it. Not answering her phone again for days. What was she playing at?! Making them all worry about her. If only she'd listen to him already and move to Corel. It wasn't like there was much keeping her in Edge after all. He could always build her a new bar and that puppy of hers would follow her anywhere.

_Damn woman is gonna be the death of me._ Barret thought testily as he strode up the stairs into the warm, inviting atmosphere of the Seventh Heaven.

What first tipped him off that something was wrong was that it was barely 9 p.m. and there were already people leaving. The bar was nearly empty, quiet, and those patrons that did stick around were casting disappointed looks at the bar tender that seemed to be hiding behind the pitchers and booze.

Barret stormed behind the bar and pulled the stranger up by his shirt, "Where's Tifa?" he growled into his ashen face.

"Sh-she left!"

"Waddya' mean 'she left'?!" He shook him. "And who the fuck are you?!"

If he weren't about to piss himself, the bartender may have had the sense to be indignant that the larger man didn't recognize him.

"I'm, I'm, I'm Johnny."

Barret's eyes grew clouded in confusion as he tried to remember the name and why he should have had to.

"I used to live in Sector 7, before…"

Barret's face suddenly cleared as he remember, "Oh yeah! Yer that ex-soldier git that used to stare at Tifa's –"

"No! No, no, no… I mean, yeah, I'm him, but – I never…. You know…"

The larger, bear of a man dropped Johnny and used his gun arm to rub his chin speculatively, "Now… why are you here?....And where's Tifa?" His voice dropped as he asked him slowly.

Johnny struggled to his feet, keeping a wary eye on the man's arm, knowing full well what was encased in it. _'Sheesh… is she always surrounded by such psychotic weirdos? At least that SOLDIER kid had the decency to remember who I was."_

"I dunno… she-" He didn't miss the conspicuous click of a gun. "She said that she was going somewhere and asked me to look after the bar for a while. She didn't say where."

Barret narrowed his glare.

"Honest!"

"Hey there, he's right. Saw her myself, leaving the town." An older man near the bar spoke up with a raise of his hand and a sage nod.

"Shit." The ex-Avalanche leader cursed and pulled out his phone. He knew that he would have been the first person she would call if she ever went anywhere. "Strife, would ya pick up the damn phone every once in a while? Look, it's about Tifa."

* * *

Tifa had indeed gone somewhere, without a plan, a care, or a destination. She just knew she had to get out of there. She decided, about halfway to Junon, that there really wasn't a purpose to this impromptu journey other than to simply be; see how the world had or hadn't changed. She supposed she would just travel along the coast, more-or-less, and see where her luck took her.

When she passed through Junon, she stopped by the harbor and faced the Sister Ray, bathed in the golden, setting sunlight with her hair gently floating by her face until well after the stars appeared in their velvety sky. Not many paid her attention, just those who could afford the time to take a moment and look wonderingly at the beautiful, mysterious woman gazing sadly up at the since abandoned mako canon. They wondered what had completely commandeered her thoughts as she stood there, paying no heed to the breathtaking sunset next to her. For a brief haunting moment, she thought she had smelled the gas meant to kill her in that dark chamber on the wind.

She later found a piano in a bar that night and gifted the patrons with her enchanting music for hours, playing without sheet music and ignoring all those that approached her, not touching the drinks that were sent her way in appreciation. She returned the next night and the night after, never saying a word and never playing the same song twice. The crowd in the bar had tripled by the time she left. She merely left a thank you note and a half finished composition.

Tifa spent another sunset on top of Fort Condor with her arms propped up on her knees and her expression calm and neutral, simply enjoying the warm, dry wind and the gentle sounds of the Condor. She recalled something Cid had once told her on the Highwind at this point of her journey, not intentionally, but it had simply sprung to the forefront of her mind. "No matter what your goal is… You gotta be prepared." Cid had said.

She leaned forward and pressed her mouth on her arm wondering how in the world she was supposed to prepare for anything that had happened in her life. Her mother, her father, Nibelheim, Avalanche, Aeris, Sephiroth… Vincent. She began to suppose that he meant she simply had to be emotionally prepared. She had tried, she thought defensively, goodness knows how hard she tried to be emotionally strong, but… she couldn't withstand everything. She didn't think that anyone could. Weathering life is no life. Isn't life supposed to be all about feeling all your emotions and dealing with the good and the bad?

Tifa closed her eyes and later opened them to gaze up at the rising moon. She wondered who else was watching it with her? What were the others doing? Were they thinking of her?

Unbeknownst to her, they were actually. Cid was calling every transportation manager he knew while Barret continued to rampage throughout Edge, convinced that someone knew something about where she went. Naturally, he had Johnny in babbling, quaking states every time the large, gun-toting man hit a dead end, but the poor man had no idea himself where she had gone. Yuffie helped Cid and Barret by hacking into databases and watching Tifa's debit card transactions like a hawk.

The only ones who weren't worrying themselves out of their minds were Reeves and Red XIII. They were rather collected about the whole situation and said that they trusted Tifa, no matter where she had gone, to take care of herself. They cited the fact that she had asked Johnny to step in at the Seventh Heaven for a couple of weeks and that Tifa had had the mind to withdraw plenty of cash, which meant that she didn't want to be followed. The two of them admitted to each other that they were naturally more worried about her emotional state, guessing quite correctly that she had left very upset and wouldn't have left otherwise. If they had to make a proper guess, they would have said she was merely taking a trip to clear her head.

Vincent agreed with them, however, he didn't share what had happened the night before she left. And he knew that he never would. He disappeared again, last seen with a swish of his cloak, and what may have been a pained expression, barely seen over the collar of his new crimson mantle.

Cloud hadn't bothered to talk about feelings and theories as to where and why she had gone. He merely adjusted his goggles over his eyes and sped off on Fenrir with only one destination in mind. Before he left though, he flashed Denzel and Marlene a small, reassuring smile. With that, they looked at each other and laughed happily, knowing that he'd bring her back.

But Tifa didn't know these things. She felt bad for leaving them but could only add it to the rest of her guilt to be dealt with at a later day. Her face pinched, however, when she thought of her children. She suddenly remembered that they were ending school soon for the summer and were planning on staying with her. With a sigh, she made a mental note to have a talk with them about leaving home without telling anyone, like she had, and that running away is bad.

By this point, she was now in Costa del Sol and had watched the sun rise on the bridge connecting two buildings. She had stopped in front of Cloud's villa, and wondered if he was currently using it. It would make sense if he did, considering what Yuffie had mentioned about the increase of business on that continent, but without a key or a window not blocked with a curtain, she couldn't tell. She couldn't help the brief, bitter thought of whether he ever entertained any women there. The thought left her in a dark mood the rest of the day.

She then went north to the Forgotten City… the City of the Ancients. She didn't care that Vincent was known to lurk around the Sleeping Forest, or that the others might think to look for her there; she had a very good friend to visit. Despite the eerie loneliness of the City, Tifa stayed for a couple of days, sleeping in an ancient bed or along the lake that Aeris lay. She didn't expect to be visited by the martyr, but she wondered why she didn't feel her presence in that place even though that's where her very body rested. Tifa knew Zack was with her though, catching fleeting glimpses of a large, gray wolf keeping watch at the edges of her periphery.

Without thinking, her wandering had even taken her to the very spot Sephiroth had come down and struck her. Seeing the patch of brown blood stains remaining on the stone was too much for her however and she had fainted, gaining consciousness only after falling into the water. She had had a panic attack soon after and had gulped large quantities of pristine water before she made it back to shore, hurling and falling unconscious once again. That was when Tifa prayed for forgiveness.

Many times, Tifa prayed to anyone and anything that would listen for forgiveness. To forgive the sins that stained her hands, poisoned her thoughts, and spurred the small actions that she knew were bad. She now prayed to Aeris almost as her saint and the Planet as her provider. Tifa's family had never been religious, so she knew not of the various deities worshipped around the world, nor did she have the inclination to learn them. Her opinion had been that nothing really existed unless seen. She was discovering the faults with that line of thinking, but for now, Aeris and Gaia were the two forces that she trusted in and were holding her faith.

Tifa prayed and prayed and prayed. She prayed for herself, her children, her friends, her family, the planet, the people, her sins of the past, and for the future. She prayed for health, prosperity, forgiveness, and strength. She wept while she prayed, her tears falling into Aeris's grave, dispensing crystalline waves that rippled through the entire lake. She apologized for those too.

After the City of the Ancients, she knew that she only had one other place she wished to see. So, on Chocobo, she rode to the southwest, over plains, rivers, and mountains to a little, fake town, called Nibelheim.

* * *

**AN: Heh, I bet you all saw this one coming. What is any story without a journey? Perhaps obviously, the last couple of chapters are coming after this one, but I really don't know when I will have them finished and posted. The end of the semester is really kicking me hard in the face with projects and presentations, so I'm going to try and do my best to get it finished when I can. **

**Thank you so much for all of you who have reviewed, especially from Chapter 15. You've know idea how much I appreciate your words.** **:)**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Tired, mahogany eyes framed with thick, black lashes looked about passively at her all too familiar surroundings. They were knowing eyes; eyes that had seen too much, and knew too much. As they took in the view, the eyes narrowed slightly as cheeks pushed up with a smile. Tifa smiled softly as she looked around at the recreation of her memories, not allowing the deception to cheapen the nostalgia of seeing her hometown once again.

The people she knew and loved were gone, along with the secret, inconspicuous clues that revealed that at one time real people of real memories actually lived here. The house that replicated the one she had grown up with, down to her floral bedspread, was too perfect. It didn't have the pencil markings on her doorway that marked her growth, or the broken floorboard near the piano, or the carvings of names, initials, and hearts in the wood of the water tower. These were the things that Shinra missed when they covered up Sephiroth's betrayal, and somehow, that made the town infinitely sadder.

Structurally-wise, the village was just as she had remembered it. After Shinra was more-or-less shut down, they couldn't keep up with the repairs to keep it looking pristine, so there was some wear and tear on the buildings and the flower beds needed weeding. Many of the Shinra employees that had been assigned to Nibelheim to play their parts as life-long citizens had actually fallen in love with that concept and so had stayed, despite not receiving a salary anymore.

The young woman with the long, black hair didn't bother reserving a room in the inn; unsure if she was actually going to stay the night, despite how late it was getting already. Instead, she merely walked about, doing her best to reign in the emotions that simmered beneath her control.

A few townspeople recognized her from several years ago and they raised their hands in greeting, but the smiles on their faces did little to hide their equally knowing eyes. They seemed to appreciate that she was genuine and not some conjured up ghost to imitate the lives that had been lost and almost forgotten, and because of that, they respected her and gave her the privacy she was immensely grateful for.

Relief filled her as she noticed that the children didn't have those same hallow smiles and sympathetic, wary eyes. They ran carelessly around the water tower with sticks, having some sort of epic battle, while the "damsel in distress" cheered on the hero above them, hanging off of the tower. It certainly made her laugh inwardly that the so-called "damsel" was actually a shaggy-haired, blonde boy, perhaps a little younger than the dueling girl and boy below. Tifa sighed and was glad that at least _this_ blonde boy was being included in their fun.

Tifa continued to retrace the area, doing some light training on a bluff before stopping inside of the Shinra mansion to relive old memories. She studied the test tubes that had contained Cloud and Zack, and read a few of the reports that had driven Sephiroth mad. Oddly enough, there were no monsters inside of the mansion, which relieved her. She did find Regen material though, that left her happy.

Not for the first time, she wondered as she was leaving the mansion, what it would have been like to be them at that moment in their lives. Would she have lost her mind as well? Could she have survived all those horrible experiments? Would she have had the strength to protect Cloud for so long? And then she began to think of Marlene and Denzel and how they were doing. As she bit her lip, she hoped that everyone wouldn't be too mad for suddenly disappearing without telling anyone, at least, not one of them.

By the time she made it back to town, the sun had already dropped below the surrounding mountains, and the golden sky was giving way to the darker shades of twilight. No one bothered her as she climbed the water tower; in fact, hardly anyone was out at all. With the surrounding rock formations encasing the town, it was hard to see the whole sky, so she contented herself with lying back and watching the sky slip into night.

Tifa took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar sweetness of the country air as she leaned back onto her hands and lifted her face to the embracing sky. Despite the farce, the atmosphere of Nibelheim was still the same, and for just a moment, she could pretend that nothing had happened all those years ago.

She felt calm. For the first time, in a very long time, she felt at peace with herself. Every setting sun she had witnessed, from whatever perch she managed in the last two weeks, had only helped to secure her admission. She still loved Cloud and in all honestly, she couldn't and wouldn't ever stop. Trying had only seemed to make it worse and she managed to convince herself that no matter what happened… it was ok. Like the setting sun, no matter what the sky did to hide it, it still rose the next day, as bright as ever.

She was still angry, but it had failed to overpower the deep affection she held for him.

She closed her eyes and began to hum a sweet, lilting tune. When she opened them again, the sky was studded with fiery starlight and she could instantly sense him sitting nearby, not needing to see his dark outline in the gloom. It didn't surprise her. With an inaudible sigh, Tifa sat up and hugged her knees to her chest.

"I suppose it wouldn't be long before someone found me, especially when I came here." Tifa murmured lightly. When they were younger, they were both much smaller and had no problem keeping distance between them. Now that they were older however, she could have reached out and touched him. "How long have you been waiting for me?"

Cloud leaned forward on his knees. "Right after you left." His voice sounded gruff, as if he hadn't used it in a while.

"Hmm, I suppose I am _that_ predictable." Tifa mused and rocked a little bit.

"I just know you well." Cloud sighed and looked down.

Despite the peace she had finally found for herself, she couldn't help but feel slightly apprehensive in his presence. "Why did you come?"

Without missing a beat, he asked, "Why did you?" Surprisingly, his dodge didn't phase her.

She didn't answer right away though. "I think we came for the same thing, just different reasons."

Out of her periphery, she saw his head nod in agreement; his hands clasping and unclasping, but not in an uncomfortable way. By all appearances, from what she could tell in the starlight, Cloud was as at ease in this situation as she was; his shoulders seemed to lack that tension she had nearly come accustomed to seeing. Or perhaps, they were merely at ease with themselves finally, for the tension between them was palpable.

The brunette woman wondered if Cloud had also made peace. Cloud had forgiven himself at that time of Sephiroth's reappearance, but something else had remained in him, and no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find what it specifically was. Then again, perhaps, Cloud had always been like this, even when they were little. There were those years that she never saw him and despite seeing his memories and thoughts in the Lifestream, she knew that there were still many events of his past that she would probably never, ever see.

Off in the distance, she could make out Mt. Nibel's foreboding, black silhouette and involuntarily shivered. It also didn't help that the night had gotten much cooler and she was very near a wooden reservoir of water. As she hugged her knees to her chest tighter, she wondered if Cloud's memories of that night when he promised to be her protector were ever completely recovered.

"Cloud… when we were young, why did you follow me up to the mountain? Why didn't you say anything to defend yourself when my father only accused you?"

She asked him on a whim, because she really didn't think that he'd answer, and realized that she really did it more for herself. These questions danced in her head for years, and more than likely helped influence her falling in love with him. When she thought of him, she asked herself these questions, and that naïve, romantic girl in her used to think that because he followed her to ensure her safety, it meant that he cared for her - and perhaps he had at one point. But why he never defended himself, she really couldn't say. There had been so much in her head and her heart that she had reached her breaking point and now, there could only be the relieving pleasure of letting it all go.

Cloud said nothing, but he drew in a large breath, before letting it go with an imperceptible shake of his head.

"When I finally remembered what happened," Tifa continued, almost nonchalantly, masking the deluge that was pouring out of her, "I couldn't stop thinking of you."

"I would see you right next door but… you felt so far away. When you told me, right here… that you were going to leave and join SOLDIER… I wasn't surprised. And when you left, I kept thinking that you should've taken me with you… I worried about you… and that's when I began training. I thought, 'Cloud is going to be so strong and he won't care about weak little girls,' and 'Cloud will need someone to take care of him.' So… I practiced, day and night. I barely lived through Zangan's teachings," she chuckled, "but I felt that each day would bring me closer to you."

The more words that freed themselves from her, the more she wanted to continue her emotional liberation. She was finding honesty now with her heart, and was so very tired of fooling herself. She just wanted to let him know. It didn't matter what he might think or do anymore; she reasoned that she really had nothing to lose… _Besides their friendship_.

That thought did scare her… but she just couldn't take the waiting anymore… one of them had to act.

She remembered that night with Vincent and recalled how the fear stole into her heart. That icy, helplessness was not something she was accustomed to, because she always believed in Cloud. She believed that he would be there to protect her, no matter what. It was a foolish thing, but it comforted her. "Cloud, in a moment… that I had lost all hope and trust and ability to save myself... in a moment in which I wanted to do anything I could to forget you… to hate you… in that moment of absolute fear… all I could think of was you."

"No matter what I do, no matter what I say… I can't forget you, Cloud. I can't stop… loving you. And I hate that. I hate that I can't. I feel so damn helpless, weak… stupid. I feel like I've done everything to get over you. I tried to ignore my feelings…simply be friends… buried myself with work… ran away even… and… _Vincent_…" Her voice wavered and she gulped, while not missing her companion wince at the other man's name.

"I thought that convincing myself to be content as just friends would be enough, but when I heard… _her,_ it was just too much. That girl that you… brought home, she told me that you called her by my name while you touched her. … And in that moment…. I hated you… and it killed me."

Cloud's hands stopped, his frame froze.

"I was so angry with you - so utterly angry. And I'm still so… so… _furious_ at you," Tifa's fists clenched and shook with strain.

"For not noticing… for not being there… for being such a coward! And for… not coming, when I really needed you." She paused for several moments, as she hung her head in the circle of her arms and knees. "Even though… I knew that you wouldn't. I think, I'm most angry because… you weren't who I wanted you to be… and so, I guess, I'm not really mad at you at all. Not you…"

They were both silent for a long time after Tifa's voice finally faded, leaving her words to resonantly echo, heavily between them. "I know that I shouldn't have told you any of this. It's not your burden."

She raised her head to rest her chin on her slender, but powerful arms, "But it had to be said. I'm tired of hiding it and being afraid of telling you. The more I thought about, the more I realized it hurt to keep it in…"

If the wind had just been a little stronger, she might not have heard him. "Perhaps," He cut in very softly, yet it made her start in surprise, "It was just too much for your heart to take… there just want enough space left." She looked at him questioningly, before looking back up towards the night sky. _He certainly sees a lot more than he lets on…_

She looked at him and pondered his words, studying his face in the dim light. Blonde spikes appeared silver in the moonlight and his eyes cast a faint, almost eerie glow. He still wasn't looking at her, just at his hands; clasping and unclasping. Tifa looked back up towards the stars.

There would be no promises tonight.

"Perhaps."

* * *

When they pulled up to the Seventh Heaven, the bar's lights were burning brightly but not because it was open to customers. It was much too late for that, but for some odd reason, it was the children that rushed out the door to meet them. Tifa made a mental note to have a talk with Barrett about letting them stay up at this ungodly hour.

Denzel and Marlene had rushed out onto the street and looked up at Tifa and Cloud expectantly, their innocent but burdened eyes wide with worry and relief. As soon as the bike stopped, Tifa dismounted and removed her riding goggles and looked at the children with a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. It was enough for them however, as they rushed her, hugging whichever part of her they could reach until she bent and enveloped them both into a strong hug.

"I'm home." She whispered, closing her eyes in relief.

* * *

**AN: All right... one more to go! I'm still being eaten alive by projects, but I'll do my best to get that last chapter up soon. I'm sure after this chapter you'll all be going 'Get on with it already!' Hahah, but... well... just needed one final delving down into Tifa's thoughts before we finally learn what the hell has been up with Cloud. :) See you soon... I hope.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Cloud didn't stay long after they returned from Nibelheim. In fact, as soon the children had finally been ferried to bed, he left, speeding off into the night and the curtain of heavy rain that filled the air with the sounds of yet another storm. Tifa didn't mind, honestly. She was still a little numb from their time on the water tower, while simultaneously exhilarated.

When she had climbed onto Fenrir behind Cloud to begin their journey back to their new home, she leaned forward this time to anchor herself to the bike by embracing him from behind. Every other time, she had leaned back and held onto the seat – immensely uncomfortable and not supported in the least. This time, though, she held on to his warm, solid, broad back silently, enjoying the feel of his muscles against her breasts as they guided the monster of a vehicle up mountains and through serpentine roadways. She enjoyed the warmth of their shared body heat and shamelessly took pleasure in the feel of him between her thighs and every bump that created friction against him; knowing that they now shared the same scent of exhaust and dust.

She had washed all of that off of her however, but she could still smell him clearly from her memories. Tifa shivered at the memory and stared out of her window, brushing her hair absently, and humming. Her musical tones were nearly drowned out by the heavy rain beating against the house in a rolling din.

Despite the rain, the air was warm and thick, and she stood at her window barefoot wearing nothing but a camisole and panties. Even still, she contemplated completely disrobing and running out into the street to embrace the rain.

Random thoughts and ideas had begun to suddenly tumble into her mind when she came home; whimsical things that normally the sensible Tifa wouldn't even have considered. There was always something to do, something to be serious about, but now… there was a liberated high that came with the sudden honest freedom after years of suppression.

She wanted to dance in the rain. She wanted to take home that dog at the shelter. She wanted to sing as loudly as she could from her rooftop while knitting. Why, she wanted to learn how to knit as well. She wanted to buy herself a bicycle and have races with the neighborhood children. She wanted to cook with everything in her cupboards at once and eat everything. She wanted to do handstands and spin until she fell.

More thoughts like these continued to pop up as she set down her brush on the window sill and focused her contemplation on relocating. Perhaps… perhaps Barret was right. Maybe she should leave Edge and the city. Maybe go to Corel… or maybe, see what else of the world was left to see. But for now, she was home, and she was content.

Her children were safe and warm in their beds, sleeping peacefully, in a house full of the Planet's heroes. Barret snored loudly in the den, while Yuffie exhaled in puffs on the bar top. Cid slept in a corner with a burned out cigarette dangling from his lips, and his harpoon resting against his shoulders in the bar. Cait Sith was deactivated in the children's room, the cat tucked under Marlene's arms and the robot it rode on sitting at the end of Denzel's bed. All was quiet in the house besides Barret's snoring and the pounding rain, and it nearly deafened her.

"I'm home." She whispered against the glass, leaning her forehead against its smooth, cool surface. All around her was gray, but through the world of gray came a single, bright yellow light – coming fast down the street.

Fenrir's growl reached her ears through the quiet and grew steadily louder as it approached, before faltering as its rider cut the engine and wheeled it into the garage next to the Seventh Heaven.

So, Cloud was home. It somewhat surprised her, and she wondered with a half-smile if Barret was going to give him the hell that he had promised after giving Tifa her own. Tifa crossed her arms in front of her and shifted her weight onto a leg as she listened as he came in, wondering how he managed to do so, so quietly. Her ears strained to hear his boots familiar thumping over the wooden floorboards, pausing at the base of the stairs before creeping up slowly and stopping outside of her door.

Tifa closed her eyes and remembered how many nights she had listened to his pause on the other side of that door, and how she always wished that he would come in and whisper his love for her. Oh, how things change when emotions are made known. She no longer felt that aching, twist of longing when he paused there, wondering what he was thinking. Now, she merely opened her eyes again and turned her attention back towards the rain with a smile, relieved that she had already said her piece and that it was all up to him now. She would no longer think of ways to display her affection for him without letting him catch onto her feelings. It was strange, really. It was just plain strange.

She half turned with a smile as her door opened soundlessly to partially reveal Cloud Strife standing in her doorway, mostly hidden in the shadows. From the sounds his leather armor and boots were making, he was very wet, and the puddle forming at his feet only grew the longer he stood there. He was positively soaked, but as he stood there, staring at her, he raised his hand out towards Tifa as if presenting something.

In his hand something glinted in the dim light coming from the street lamps outside. He walked towards her slowly, his boots squelching with each step, with his hand out stretched. It was an almost otherworldly, horrific motion because of the darkness and his odd movements, but Tifa was intrigued, feeling no fear or apprehension from his late night appearance. It was a ring. It was the wolf ring she had lost in Aeris's church.

Tifa's eyes widened in surprise and a hand flew to her chest, skimming the ring already hanging from her necklace. "Cloud," she breathed, "Where did you find that?" Dimly, she remembered that she wasn't quite dressed properly as she unconsciously took a step forward, but it wasn't as if he hadn't seen her in less.

The blonde man smirked and held the ring between his index finger and thumb, looking at her with a humorous intent, before taking another step towards her and grabbing her hand. Without another word, he slid it easily back onto her finger, his cold, wet hand continuing to hold her warm one.

He had put it on her wrong hand however, and without thinking, she brought her other hand to theirs to remedy the problem, but he wouldn't let go. "I wear it on my right hand, Cloud."

"I know."

She looked up at him with questioning eyes and wondered what he was getting at.

"Cloud… I don't know what you're thinking right now… but I'm not finding it funny." Tifa looked back at their hands in front of them and hoped to whoever was listening that he hadn't suddenly developed some cruel sense of humor.

"Thank you, for finding the ring. I tried my best, but… you must have better eyes than me."

His face slowly fell as his gaze scanned her face, and he sighed and closed his eyes with disappointment. He used her hand to pull her forward and gripped both of his hands on her bare shoulders. His hands were becoming warmer and felt hot to her skin. His grip eventually relaxed and weighed heavily on her shoulders as he hung his head in resignation.

"Tifa…I…" Cloud paused, his shoulders heaving as he inhaled deeply. Tifa's nerves jumped at the sound of her childhood friend stepping nearer, and her skin rose with gooseflesh as he pressed his head against her shoulder. His soft spikes were crushed as he slowly shook his head, bringing his forehead up to rest on the top of her shoulder, inhaling deeply again, tickling her neck.

"You smell good."

Tifa's breath left her in a rush and she closed her eyes painfully, feeling that too familiar feeling again. Damn, would it ever go away? Just when she thought that he might be sincere with her and say something she had been waiting to hear for years, he skirted the subject. She clenched her teeth as she caught herself, upset that she was still expecting him to be and do something she wanted. She brought her hand up to push him away, but stopped as he began again.

"You won't leave me, Teef… you… won't leave me." Tifa, stunned and confused, slowly lowered her hand with her eyes wide and unfocused. "I've been so afraid that you would leave me alone; that there would be nothing that I could do to keep you."

Cloud was having difficulty forming his words, opening his mouth then closing it with a shake of his head. "You… are not weak… you're a much stronger person than I could ever be. Even though I promised to save you, I've realized that you don't need it." Even though his trouble was evident, so was the decreasing weight of each word he spoke.

"You've endured so much, and yet… when the rest of the world is frowning, you have a smile on your face… your actions… your… your… you're simply amazing, Teef. Simply amazing." He chuckled mirthlessly, as he finally raised his head to meet her searching eyes, knowing that his words were making little sense; his thoughts in a jumble. He too had so much he wished to tell her, but unlike her, he simply didn't know how he wanted to say it, regardless of bravery or lucidness. He started with a soft smile, but it slowly faded as his glowing blue eyes darkened in pain.

"You're not her, Tifa. You're not going to leave me too. It's taken me a little while to realize that; that you aren't going to just die if I can't protect you. I couldn't protect her, Tifa and that's damaged me so much since then. I was the one that nearly killed her when Sephiroth took control of me… just before he…" Cloud paused, the anguish clear in his eyes. "Knowing that I couldn't save her has continued to tear me apart, knowing that I was afraid. When she died, all my confidence, all my strength left me. I didn't want to experience that again. That's why I'm not strong enough to protect you, but I know that you're strong enough without me…. Better off, even."

"That's why…" Tifa began.

"... I left…and kept pushing you away…" He finished for her.

"But… I can't seem to let you go either, Tifa. I've tried to, like a fool I've tried to forget you, thinking that you'd be much safer and happier if I wasn't there. I was selfish though, and jealous as well. Every time I saw Vincent with you, I… wanted to kill him," His hands tightened momentarily on her shoulders. "That scared me. Every time I had to fight the urge to just grab you away and hold you and say 'She's mine…. She's mine.'"

She breathed quickly. "What are you trying to say, Cloud?"

Cloud's smile returned, but with a slight smirk. He removed one hand from her shoulder and used it to brush back her hair, feathering his fingers along her cheek to cup her jaw. "I'm trying to say, Tifa Lockhart, that… you are the most important thing in the world to me. And I would die crazy, if anything happened to you." Cloud rushed forward the remaining inches to warmly capture her lips, praying to the high heavens that he wasn't scaring her.

Tifa was anything but scared. Nervous? Sure. Confused? Most definitely. Happy? Very much so.

Excitement rushed through her dreadfully. Cloud's lips were so wonderfully familiar and comforting; arousing and painful. They filled her with such relief and unconstrained trembling, but at the same time she couldn't forget the emotional wounds that had barely begun to heal. She was torn and she cried. The tears, unbidden, fell from her closed eyes as she responded to Cloud, almost in a haze. Why did she always seem to cry when he kissed her?

Her hands skimmed his face, his neck, and through his hair; everything was overwhelming her with the sudden explosion of tactile intimacy. Once her mind began to remember the pain, however, she couldn't help but withdraw, inwardly guarding herself – but Cloud knew her too well. He knew what she was thinking as soon as her glorious lips stiffened and her soft hands began to retreat, and he tightened his hold on her, embracing her to his chest as if he were begging her to stay. Tifa's whimper ended with a moan as a hand caressed her sides and the other cradled her head, holding her to him.

She relished in the textures her body encountered and she was glad that he wouldn't let her go. That's what he had been doing all along… just letting her go, and no matter how hard she tried to hold on, she really had nothing to hold on to. But now… now he clutched her like his last breath.

She was so tired of chasing him and so hurt from trying to let him go. She knew that it was truly something for him to take this initiative, and she was glad for it. He didn't have to say it to her, for she knew what he was really trying to say and that knowledge and his presence in her arms filled her with such warm joy that she was afraid she'd be consumed by it. She knew that she didn't deserve such happiness, but at least once, just this once, she wanted and needed to be selfish too and indulge in this moment. She squeezed him back tightly as they moved into an embrace.

She was shaking even as he held her, her mind oddly clear as her whole being focused entirely on the feel of his strong arms holding her close and the way his warmth carried his scent as she breathed in deeply. This almost seemed unreal to her. She almost didn't believe it. She was so tired of not believing what her heart saw however, that she simply accepted it – wholeheartedly. Never had she been so close to Cloud before that she was almost giddy with the feeling of adventure, almost as if she were daring to be this close to him; this open and this free. Beneath the Highwind, she did have her night with him but only a shoulder to rest against and enough ambiguity to last her lifetime. With a final deep breath, she began to pull away but his arms didn't loosen and even tightened more around her.

_"This day will never come again... So let me have this moment..." _She heard him say softly, having to think for a moment where she had first heard those words. Apparently he had been thinking along the same lines as her, for he echoed the exact words she had pleaded before they returned to the Highwind. She laughed lightly and nodded, tightening her hold on him once more.

"Don't think that I've quite forgiven you yet." She whispered soberly, thinking briefly of _her_, then after a few moments, she giggled. "You're still wet, you know."

Cloud immediately let go of her and mumbled an apology as he looked around for a towel. Wiping away a few of the tears that hadn't dried yet with a smile, she opened her drawer to look for an extra cotton shirt, trying to find one big enough for him. With a button up he might be able to wear folded in her hands, she turned to see Cloud pulling his shirt over his head and could feel her cheeks grow warm. He looked at her shyly before accepting the garment and looking down as he pulled it on, leaving it unbuttoned.

Her eyes were fixed however on the small, roughly oval shaped scar just beneath his rib cage. She touched the scar with silent awe, brushing her finger tips along the fine lines where the scar tissue met his original flesh. Tifa knew where this painful reminder came from and had one too, faintly running across her chest.

"She gasped when she saw it." Cloud murmured absently, unconsciously rubbing his thumb back and forth over her other hand that had come up to rest on his arm.

Tifa lifted her eyes to his questioningly.

"That girl… that, I had brought home that night." His face fell with shame, missing Tifa's sudden dark expression. Cloud picked his head up though, as if with a new thought. "Tifa… nothing happened that night, with her."

She pursed her lips and gave him a disbelievingly reproachful look, complete with a quirked brow and frown. He shook his head and continued to insist. "I thought that I could try to move past you if I…. but… I couldn't do it. All I could think of was you… all I could see was you." As Tifa made to withdraw her hand, he caught it and kept it pressed to his scar. "When she saw my scar, she gasped as if merely seeing it pleasured her."

'_It was the woman's sudden, excited gasp that sent her flying from her room.'_ Tifa sadly remembered that night vividly, not sure if she really wanted him to be explaining this to her now.

"And when she touched it… I felt horrified… disgusted. And I just couldn't go on; neither with my body nor mind." His hand flattened hers so that her palm rested above the wound Sephiroth had inflicted on him those years ago at the reactor; the wound he lived through to protect Tifa. Cloud's glowing eyes were filled with wonder as he looked down at her, realizing that perhaps she really was made just for him. No other woman filled his thoughts like Tifa did. No other woman could make his body react the way she did. No other woman would dive after him in the Lifestream like she had essentially done. "But when I look at you, and I feel and see you touching me there… I feel like every damn thing I have done, the good and the bad, has been worth it." He brought her fingertips up to kiss them reverently.

Tifa had been certain she didn't want to talk about what had happened that night. It was a night she fully wished to forget considering the utter pain that had lanced through her. Worse than Emerald Weapon's Aire Tam Storm, her mind and body had nearly broke with the torment of knowing that some other woman was in Cloud's bed. Now, however, now felt like he was kissing away the wounds as he kissed her, healing and erasing all the hurt she felt when she saw and heard the other woman.

"Because it means that I've done something right. You give me hope, Tifa." He finally wrapped his hand around hers in a fist, holding it to his bare chest tightly.

"'_Give hope to the lost…_'" She intoned distantly, remembering a conversation with an old friend that gave her comfort when she most needed it. It was Cloud's turn to look lost however, as he tilted his head with an encouraging smile. Tifa merely shook her head and beamed at him, taking a step in and leaning against him, her head tucked beneath his chin with their entwined hands pressed between them.

"Is it bad for me to feel happy that you couldn't perform?" She teased with a large grin, closing her eyes as she felt and heard Cloud's laughter rumbling out from his chest.

"You're allowed, I think." He continued to chuckle as he laid his cheek upon her head, drawing her nearer still with his other arm, wrapping it about her waist. "But I also think… _that_ won't be a problem anymore." Cloud whispered in her ear mischievously, letting his warm breath fan her ear lobe, eliciting instant gooseflesh and a hot arousal within her.

The raven haired woman's eyes shot open as she digested his words, fully catching his innuendo, and sensing how true his words were on her abdomen. Needless to say, she also had a feeling that she'd find out _exactly_ how true those words actually were as she felt the first of many kisses begin so hotly on her neck.

* * *

**AN: Gah! I just couldn't wait! I have so much due this week, huge stuff, but I just couldn't tear myself away from writing the rest of this story. I'm hoping that with no more to write, I can finally focus on my school work!! Perhaps one day I'll write a follow-up story or some sort of epilogue or even a one-shot continuation of what comes after the hot kisses, but right now... this is the end.**

**I love Cloud and Tifa together, even though Vincent is so "delicious," lol, and I may be tempted to write a solid VinTi, but Cloud and Tifa remind me so much of my boyfriend and I (minus the big swords and big boobs) that I can't help but be in love with their pairing. So, be sure to expect more CloTi moments from me. :)**

**I want to thank you all so much for staying with me till the end and reading my story. I absolutely love each and every one of your reviews for they really spurred me to keep going and without that, I really don't think that I would have finished. When I get around to those other stories just swirling around in my noggin, I hope that you remember me and visit me again. **


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